3D-
Evolution of 3D Printers
Mohin
Uddin
Section: IT103-002
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Introduction:
Printing has become a huge part of our daily tasks, from students to astronauts
everyone has a use for a printer. The logic of printing has become old and
outdated, so what’s the new solution or advancement in technology of printing?
Well it’s called 3D printing. A 3D printer works to make a three dimensional
object which can be drawn by using a Computer Aided Drawing program. The 3D
printer is the newest innovation in the field technology, the concept of a 3D
printer is so new that many people haven’t even heard of it, and even so the
new technology is gaining popularity fast. In the recent few years, 3D printing
has changed the way we look at manufacturing, today the use for this new
technology has become so much broad that whether it’s simply creating useful
items at home, save lives, or to fix a space station the first choice is a 3D
printer. Just like every advancement has its own setbacks, 3D has it’s too. The
main setback of a 3D printer is national security.
Background: The
first concept of 3D printing was created by Chuck Hull in the late 1980s but
the first prototype was not created till early 1990s which was similar to ink
jet printing and was not very reliable but from the beginning of the 21st
century is the time when the concept of 3D printing has evolved and came into
mass production, which provided ordinary people the power to create, design and
print any 3-Deminsinal objects they desire.
Potential
Benefits:
3D
printing has changed the way of manufacturing in the 21st century,
whether it’s creating a simple household item or making parts for a rocket by
NASA it is all possible due to the magic of 3D printing. According to a
scholarly journal by Witze, Alexander “Space experts at NASA say that the
promise of 3D printing is real”. Which means the popularity of 3D printing has
even reached the door of NASA in a very short time, not only did it reached
NASA but NASA has already launched a 3D printer into a space station where
using the 3D
printer astronauts in the space station will be able to print and make parts.
Due to this advancement astronauts in space are able to troubleshoot many
problems that occurs abroad the space station.
Legal
and security: Just as any new innovation in technology has their own
setbacks whether small or big, the 3D printer has its own, and the major
setback 3D printers is that ordinary people can draw or download any designs
form the world wide web and use it against the government of a country for
example a man has built a gun which fires a one round shot. By simply accessing
the internet and downloading the guns drawings or blueprints or any other data
such as guns drawings or illegal hardwires etc. which is why many people are
concerned about the national security aspect of making a 3D printer accessible
to the ordinary public. According to a
DEA agent in USA Today’s news magazine interview states "The fact that anyone with the right equipment can make a
fully-functioning weapon from their own home with the click of a mouse is a
truly frightening concept, Weapons like this pose a serious threat to our
national security and we need to do everything we can to keep them off our
streets." The fact that ordinary people are able to manufacture homemade
devices rises a huge national security questions which also puts this countries
gun control laws into question by many.
Conclusion:
In conclusion over time the advancement in 3D printing technology has given us
the power to manufacture, create our own products from scratch and print them
very easily with a cheap and low costly way. Over time the advancement in
printing technology has given us the opportunity to build our dream projects
easily. Even though many people are criticizing the Power
of 3D printing by stating that 3D printer can compromise national security but
the adoption of the 3D printer by NASA has proven that the future of 3D
printing is very bright and it will only advance over time.
Reference
Page
Witze, A. (2014). NASA to
send 3D printer into space. Nature, 513(7517), 156. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1562783719?accountid=14541
Fessenden, M. (2013, May
28). 3-D printed windpipe gives infant breath of life. Retrieved October 1,
2014, from http://www.nature.com.mutex.gmu.edu/news/3-d-printed-windpipe-gives-infant-breath-of-life-1.13085
Leger, D. (2013, November
15). 3-D guns seen as threat as 'invisible' gun law expires. USA Today. From http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/13/plastic-guns-emerge-as-threat-as-gun-law-expires/3520809/
