Research Paper

3D Printing and its Place in Science

Mackenzie Barclay

IT 103 Sec. 002

February 17^th 2014

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Introduction

            Many people now have heard in the next big thing in the IT industry besides the smart phone, 3D printing. Many would probably think that this development arose in this decade, when the truth is that it has been developing for the last 25 years. It is only now hitting its stride, 3D printing is being used by manufacturing companies and is even available for purchase to individuals (Deagon 2013). It is revolutionary in that it prints by depositing materials in very thin layers until it has built up to what is being printed; this is where it has an incredible edge on conventional methods of producing objects with things such as molds or by piecing together different parts (Jones, 2012). This paper will explain the beginnings of 3D printing, the basics of how it works, why it is only now stepping into the spotlight, and the various impacts it will have on the market, the law, security, society and also its amazing potential for the future.

Background

            20 years ago three dimensional printers were still extremely costly prototypes that used toxic materials to print out whatever it was the owner desired.  Now anyone could buy a lower end personal 3 dimensional printer for around 300-500 dollars. However, industrial sized printer go for about 73,000 dollars on average (Jones, 2012). But how exactly does it print in the third dimension? There are basically three ways a 3D printer might print something, one sprays the material one thin layer at a time, this is called multi-jet modelling (MJM). Another will fuse the material by using infrared or ultraviolet light, this is called include fused deposition modelling (FDM). Lastly there is selective laser melting (SLM) (Jones, 2012) (Zolfagharifard, 2012). Because of the way the materials are deposited, spaces can easily be left inside what is being printed. This allows for very complex structures can be made with incredible ease (Science and Technology, 2011). A great example of this would be printing a hip replacement in the way that Materialise, a Belgian company, does. They copy in the titanium the same lattice structure that is found in bones, allowing the implant to be lighter but not any less sturdy (Science and Technology, 2011).

            Anyone can print with a 3D printer as long as they have downloaded software to create an STL file, which can be found mostly for free online. STL files divide a design into “triangular facets” which is how the printer is able to print using all three dimensions. The most common materials used for 3 dimensional printing are mostly plastics resins and powders. The most widely used plastic is polylactic Acid, while resins are typically liquid and powders are usually the powdered form of titanium or stainless steel.

Potential Benefits

            The most common material used for 3D printing is polylactic acid, which is considered environmentally friendly due to its biodegradability. It is also a very sustainable material since it is made from cornstarch, sugar cane and other various plant components. Because of the nature of 3 dimensional printing much less waste is created than if the same object was made by means of mass production (Nowak, 2013)(Deagon, 2013). If we follow the path that many experts predict and in the future there is a 3D printer per household, this will greatly reduce the pollutants associated with transportation of finished manufactured goods. However the jobs once held by factory workers and the transporters of those manufactured goods would be out of jobs with nowhere to turn. The 3 dimensional printer could very well bring down mass production and the consumer culture all by itself and creating a “customization culture” (Nowak, 2013) allowing consumers to simply buy the raw material and print whatever it is that they need or want. However manufacturing cannot completely disappear, 3D printing will reduce the cost of things that are complex in shape or design. One study done by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California compared the cost of making one lead bullet the traditional way versus the three dimensional way was about 67 cents cheaper.

            Aside from the consumer benefits there are some medical breakthroughs that have taken place due to the technology of 3D printing. For example biologist have been looking into printing human cells that fuse together, they have been able to make blood vessels and even beating heart tissue. One California based company even has a printer designed to build 3D tissue that may be used to test pharmaceuticals. 3D printing has also shed light on inner cell structures whose internal shapes could not be seen on a computer screen (Jones, 2012). Other researcher have succeeded in making cartilage as well (Deagon 2013).

Legal and Ethical Issues

            Because of the nature of 3D printing and the internet, it will be incredibly hard to enforce copyright law. There are sites set up specifically to share STL files and designs. Companies will now have to worry about individuals coming up with a design that exactly or very closely represents a product of theirs and making it available for public download. This would be very hard to monitor and control, because the time that it takes to find these copied designs and then for them to be taken down, hundreds of thousands of people may have already downloaded the file. Enabling them to share that same file on the internet again, it is a cycle that does not look like it can be broken with the laws that we have in place as of now. Much like how people illegally download and share music (Nowak, 2013).

Security Concerns

            With 3D printing there is really only one major security concern, homemade weapons and illegal weapon modification. With this technology it is actually possible to print out your own gun with all nonmetal parts (Nowak, 2013). This will be a security issue for any large public meeting place with only metal detectors like court houses, concerts and even museums. These plastic guns are not as effective as the real thing but according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives if a plastic gun was fired at close range could pierce vital organs and even a person’s skull (Johnson, 2013). 3D printed plastic guns poses less of a threat to airport security since some airports have full body scanners where to detect any sort of concealed object, and in airports with only metal detectors, danger would be unlikely because the gun still uses metal bullets which would not pass through airport security. The more likely and unfortunately less controllable threat would be people printing out their own metal, illegal guns at home (Johnson, 2013). This could have serious consequences and the possibility is already real. With one Google search you can find numerous articles and even videos of people demonstrating the power of their newly printed gun. With website created specifically to share designs and STL files, people could easily share their design for an illegal automatic firearm that others would download and print. How will this be regulated? Can it even be regulated? These are just a few of the new problems to be solved with 3d printing making its way in to the mainstream of our lives.

Further Required Research

The future of 3D printing seems to be endless, but 2 exciting areas are attracting tons of attention, these areas are in organ printing and food printing. Organ printing would give doctors the upper hand in the fight for cancer, and many other diseases. With cell printing and cartilage printing already happening, Avi Reichental, the president and CEO of 3D Systems says in regards to if we would one day be able to print organs, it is “not a question of if it will happen, but when and how” (Deagon, 2013). Also the possibility of one day being able to print out food seems to be feasible. Hod Lipson the co-author of Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing thinks that the future of printed food will be at home, with consumers purchasing 3D printers to essentially print out dinner (Zuraw, 2013). However full blown food printing is a long ways off, but with advancements in technology should allow for the printing of full meals. There are even companies such as Modern Meadow trying to come up with bioengineered meat to be printed (Zuraw, 2013). Reichental envisions the early stages of food printing as printing out bars designed for the unique nutritional needs for individuals (Deagon, 2013).

Conclusion

            It’s no doubt that 3D printing will have a huge impact on the future, economically medically and even socially. It took the 3D printing industry its life time of around 25 years to reach 1 billion dollars, and it is expected to be 4 billion dollars by next year (McCue, 2013). This expansion in the industry is due to the improvements in the technology and price drop of the technology, also some of the patent that these printers were under are expiring allowing for more people to access, make and improve their own printers (Nowak, 2013). Medically 3 dimensional printers and the potential of organ printing would be able to solve a number of lethal diseases. With all its benefits 3D printing will have some challenges to face such as enforcement of copyright laws and the production of illegal weapons. All we can do is create relevant and beneficial restriction, and use this power of printing in the third dimension responsibly.

Reference List

Deagon, B. (2013, Dec 31). 3D printing revolution enters its 2.0 phase big breakthroughs forecast the technology might be used to create foods and even human organs. Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1471911268?accountid=14541

This source recounts how 3D printing made its way into the mainstream and to consumer use. It explains what 3D printing was first used for when the technology first came out. This is a reputable source because it came from the newspaper Business Daily.

Publisher: Investor’s Business Daily, Inc.; Publication date: Dec. 31, 2013; Place of publication: Los Angeles

Johnson, C. (November 14, 2013) Plastic Guns Made With 3-D Printers Pose New Security Concerns. Retrieved from:http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/11/14/245078880/plastic-guns-made-with-3-d-printers-pose-new-security-concerns

This web article was retrieved from npr.com which is a well-known and reputable news source with fairly unbiased and accurate information.

Jones, N. (July 2012). Science in three dimensions: The print revolution. NATURE, 487, 22-23.  doi:10.1038/487022a

http://www.nature.com/news/science-in-three-dimensions-the-print-revolution-1.10939 (ProQuest) 2/17/2014

This scholarly article talks about what 3D printing is being used across all fields of science and how it in being incorporated into research. This is a reliable source since it showed up on a search of George Mason’s Data base. It also had its own reference page with proper cited article and had the author visible and was from the NATURE the International Weekly Journal of Science.

McCue, T. (2013, Dec). 3D Printing Stock Bubble? $10.8 Billion By 202. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/12/30/3d-printing-stock-bubble-10-8-billion-by-2021/

Forbes Magazine is a highly accredited publication that often evaluates businesses and discusses company profits and also analyzes stocks. They are a goof website to go to if you would like to know more about a particular business or an industry, and its profitability. This is a reliable and credible source.

Nowak, P. (2013, Nov). The promise and peril of 3D printing. Utne, 20-21. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1449500808?accountid=14541

This was retrieved using the George Mason library and specifically the data base ProQuest so it is a credible source. (Scholarly article)

Science and technology: The shape of things to come; 3D printing. (2011, Dec 10). The Economist, 401, 87-88. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/910208345?accountid=14541

            This article talks about the emergence of 3D printing and the very basics of how it works. This source was pulled from George Mason’s data base, specifically ProQuest, so it is a reputable and trustworthy source.

Publication title: The Economist; Publication date Dec, 10, 2011; Publisher: The Economist Intelligence Unit; Place of publication: London.

Zolfagharifard, E. (2012, Dec 04). 3D printing set to hit the mainstream. The Engineer (Online), Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1221571589?accountid=14541

This scholarly article talks about the future of 3D printing and also the basic kinds of 3D printing. This was retrieved from George Mason’s library data base ProQuest.

Zuraw, L. (February 05, 2013). First, Personalized Pez Dispensers. Next, Printed Food? Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/02/01/170862498/first-personalized-pez-dispensers-next-printed-food

This web article was retrieved from npr.com which is a well-known and reputable news source with fairly unbiased and accurate information.