3-D printing has been around since 1984, but the technology is now drawing consumers’ attention for its uses beyond manufacturing.
What is it?
3-D printing is just what the name sounds like: Using a printer to create a three-dimensional object.
How does it work?
To use a 3-D printer, you need a 3-D model to send to the printer, said Gaston College civil engineering technology instructor Thad Glankler.
Gaston College students typically use AutoCAD, a computer software program.
Websites also have files of 3-D models that consumers can download. You need to use a stl file to print. Stl stands for Stereolithography, another name for 3-D printing.
What can you make?
A better question might be, “What can’t you make?”
You can make just about anything with a digital printer as long as you have a 3-D model of it in a stl file.
At Gaston College, Glankler printed off plastic wrenches with a moveable jaw and a cube with a ball inside that can move.
3-D printing can produce jewelry, art, action figures, chess pieces — you name it.
What can businesses make?
Manufacturing has been using 3-D printing for years.
DSM Desotech in Stanley manufactures materials used in 3-D printing, said site manager Paul McGowan.
The site ramped up from a five-day to a seven-day operation to keep up with the growth of UV curable coating used in 3-D printing, he said.
“And we’ve been in that market for 20-plus years designing materials,” said Kelly Hawkinson, DSM global marketing manager. “What we’ve always focused on is prototypes.”
The big sectors using 3-D printing include automotive, aerospace, consumer products and motor sports, Hawkins said.
The medical industry uses 3-D printing to create prosthetic limbs. The technology can create personalized medical devices, like a stint for a child’s windpipe or a prosthetic to replace 75 percent of a man’s skull.
3-D printing makes producing prototypes a faster process. Before, someone would have to make a prototype by hand. Now, someone can design a prototype of a product in a few hours, speeding up the process of getting items to market.
“And functional testing is the big part,” Hawkinson said. “We’re able to do a lot of functional testing to make sure that product’s working.”
What’s the future for 3-D printing?
As technology advances, the price of 3-D printers decreases for consumers. You can buy a 3-D printer for around $1,500 now.
“I think when people start realizing where it can be used and utilized, it’ll become commonplace,” Glankler said
3-D printing opens up questions about copyrights and taking the technology to the extreme.
A person with a 3-D scanner could scan a favorite figurine and create his own instead of buying them from a manufacturer.
A college student created a plastic 3-D gun that fires standard handgun rounds.
For the manufacturing world, 3-D printing brings a boost by helping items get to market faster.
“I don’t know that it will replace total traditional manufacturing,” Hawkinson said. “But will it replace total manufacturing? I don’t think so.”
You can reach Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or twitter.com/AmandaMemrick.