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Manufacturing on Demand: The Future Is Now
"Rapid prototyping" will revolutionize design and fabrication just as Napster changed how we listen to music.
Computer and internet technology is bringing big changes to daily life: music distribution without the need for big physical production plants, electronic book publishing, and even what the continuing advances in computer technology will mean to computers themselves. All of these changes really come down to one central idea: increasingly the real product is information, not a physical object built around that information. Computers and the Internet together make it so much less expensive to transmit that information that the whole business models of many industries, like record and book publishing, are dissolving as the physical model is replaced with an information model.
Still, sometimes we need physical objects: you can’t sit on an information chair, and you can’t eat with the binary description of a fork. But imagine if there were some way to automatically turn that binary description of a fork into a physical object?
Now, it happens that I have on my desk a lovely little object: a model of the three-dimensional projection of the four-dimensional analogue of a dodecahedron; a four dimensional object with 120 three-dimensional dodecahedra as its faces. (Okay, so I’m a math geek. Just look at it, it’s cool.) They’re made by my old friend Bathsheba Grossman, a mathematical sculptor, using a 3D printing process. Imagine, just for a second, how your regular ink-jet printer works. (If you don’t have an ink-jet printer, imagine how my ink-jet printer works.) The print head scans across the paper, and the platen moves the paper upward; every place the paper should be black, the print head spits a tiny dot of waxy black ink at the paper. If you keep going back and forth over the paper, you can imagine how the waxy ink would build up to be thicker and thicker.
These metal objects are “printed” in much the same way, except to make them of metal, the “ink” is a kind of resin “glue” that sticks together fine metal powder. Later, the metal objects are heated, which drives off the glue and bonds the metal, a process called “sintering.” Sheba then does a few manual finishing steps, but the result is an object that really can’t be made by any other method — and it comes off the printer in a matter of hours.
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Charlie Martin is a Colorado computer scientist and freelance writer. He holds an MS in Computer Science from Duke University, where he spent six years with the National Biomedical Simulation Resource, Duke University Medical Center. Find him at http://chasrmartin.com, and on his blog at http://explorations.chasrmartin.com.
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27 Comments
1. Articles Archive | Think Forward:[...] B) Bush’s Term C) D) E) F) G) Gazprom H) I) Iran (Bolten) J) K) L) M) McCain Speech N) O) P) Prototype 3d printing Q) R) Russia-Georgia Invasion S) T) U) V) Vietnam Funding W) X) Y) Z) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ [...]
Sep 17, 2008 - 5:37 am 2. Toad:Let’s see lay down powedered steel and resin then hit it with laser as you go along. Just behind that a jet of cold nitrogent.
Sep 17, 2008 - 5:49 am 3. J.J. Sefton:What’s this we have? A pistol reciever?
I saw a documentary about the design and construction of the Boeing 777. I believe it was the first aircraft designed solely by virtual reality. Designers around the world were able to “walk through” the computer model and discuss remotely by teleconference. But the thing I saw that was amazing was that they were able to literally “fax” parts that were too difficult to visualize even in VR so designers could see and feel it up close and integrate it with what they were working on, perhaps thousands of miles away.
So, okay. Where can I get one already? Got lots of toys I want to make!!!!!
Sep 17, 2008 - 5:52 am 4. ken magalnik:Perhaps the time is coming but it isn’t here yet. Rapid prototyping does a good job of making concepts that one can hold in their hand to have a better understanding of an idea. In comparison to clay sculptures, they are pretty cheap. What rapid prototyping cannot do, is make functional, mechanical parts. The “printed” parts are much weaker than cast, machined, or molded ones. The printer resolution provides a poor surface finish, and cannot handle fine details, such as threads. In addition, there is no way to make parts of different hardness, which is a requirement if you want two parts to slide against each other for long.
Sep 17, 2008 - 8:29 am 5. Toad:So toads pistol receiver might fire a few shots before cracking. It would have to be very loose to accommodate for the loose tolerances, and will likely jam after every shot.
The engine the author is talking about will fair even worse. The pistons will leak horribly, the connecting rods will bend, the bearings on the cam and crank shafts will weld. I’ll be very surprised if that engine ran at all, and there is no way than it will run for more than 10 minutes.
It’s a cool technology, but it is not manufacturing.
I agree that as it is now, all you can do are models. However in the future if you can lay down layers of steel, puddle/weld it and heat treat it in one pass, you could get a Damascus effect. Consider also glass filled nylon and other reinforced polymers without the use of injection molds. If anything can be manufactured it will be manufactured. The ability of governments to restrict “dangerous” technologys will become very difficult.
Sep 17, 2008 - 8:56 am 6. Toad:The question was to specualte on what may be comming in the future.
What I see is that this is going to have almost as much effect as the printing press and the Internet. If it becomes possible to make a layered Damascus steel in one pass, or a glass filled polymer object with out an injection mold or even an anode to make rifling then Governments are going to have a heck of a time controlling the spread of what they consider “dangerous” objects.
Imagine the future so you can prepare for it.
Sep 17, 2008 - 9:02 am 7. BackwardsBoy:Can I make my own flying car now?
Sep 17, 2008 - 9:06 am 8. Robert:Too bad for the Brady Bunch, their gun control ideology will be obsolete if it isn’t already.
Sep 17, 2008 - 10:56 am 9. Tood:I envision a near future where people invent their own designs and post them on facebook, with friends trading designs with each other and ‘printing’ them.
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:05 am 10. "gunner":interesting, but this presupposes an understanding of the technology of the widget you’re trying to replicate, as ken points out. even a relatively “simple” machine, like a semi automatic pistol, requires understanding the forces acting in and on the mechanism in its operation. heat, pressure, mechanical friction, cyclic timing, mechanical linkages, etc. then you get into the wonderful world of writing a programme the computer can run to acually build your widget. not unsolvable problems but still many process steps between idea and product. thinking will still be required before pushing the magic button.
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:09 am 11. Happycrow:“gunner”
I’m in education: just getting replicas of historical items so that they can be used for teaching would be a slam dunk as far as I’m concerned. It may not be ready for prime-time… but it sure as hell is exciting for us in the niches.
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:30 am 12. Wacky Hermit:This still doesn’t answer the question: WHERE’S MY @#$% JETPACK???????
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:31 am 13. Self-hating boomer:I’m with Ken. This was never intended for production, even onsies and twosies. It makes the equivelent of a part that someone in the past whittled out of a bar of soap. It’s a 3d visualization tool. There may be very limited possibilities for limited production parts in the future, but if you’re thinking Star Trek transporter type devices, ain’t gonna happen.
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:32 am 14. gmsc:“‘Rapid prototyping’ will revolutionize design and fabrication just as Napster changed how we listen to music.”
That may be true, but I think rapid prototyping will have legitimate uses, as well.
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:36 am 15. Tood:It is exciting to think about how much this will supercharge economic growth, particularly in developing regions.
Furthermore, it appears that a material than can be easily melted and recycled will be used. Old, discarded objects could simply be melted and used to make the next object(s).
Sep 17, 2008 - 11:44 am 16. Bob Miller:There’s a lot going on in the military and elsewhere with another rapid prototyping process called LENS, which originated with work at Sandia National Labs. This uses a laser device and metal powder to create free-standing shapes.
See http://www.sfinorman.com/files/CREAM/01042008_Seminar_AMT/martin_hedges__lens_technology.pdf
Sep 17, 2008 - 12:33 pm 17. john b:Interesting and exciting view into the near future.
Sep 17, 2008 - 2:22 pm 18. Allston:With the exception of “no need to share the rights”. It should read ‘no way to retain the rights’. Anyone with a digital camera could reproduce your work exactly if I understand this correctly. Much like the fork that you “found”.
It’s great to see inventions predicted by the Science Fiction greats, such as Clarke or Heinlein, becoming a reality.
It’s a *good* time to be alive…
Sep 17, 2008 - 2:47 pm 19. Manufacturing on Demand: the Future is Now | Explorations:[...] new article on Pajamas [...]
Sep 17, 2008 - 3:55 pm 20. Charlie (Colorado):SHB, it’s worth remembering that there are a lot of things that you only buy one at a time. This has the promise of being rather like the change in the record business: big sellers will make big money, but small specialized designers will be able to get into the market easily.
Allston, the mention of Heinlein is absolutely right: remember his Universal Pantograph?
Sep 17, 2008 - 8:05 pm 21. Ellen:A word on another cost reduced w/print on demand (not the focus of the article, but it’s my field) – insurance costs. Not having to insure a warehouse full of books reduces costs mightily for a publisher.
Sep 17, 2008 - 8:23 pm 22. Jack:That’s okay, ’cause Toad only needs one round.
Sep 17, 2008 - 9:44 pm 23. Charlie (Colorado):Good point, Ellen. Isn’t there a tax advantage too?
Sep 18, 2008 - 7:19 am 24. Tightwad Technica » Where Image Meets Physicality:[...] Linky. [...]
Sep 18, 2008 - 8:58 am 25. Warrl:Analog Science Fiction has in their November issue a science-fact article, “The 3D Train Wreck” (might eventually be available online at http://www.analogsf.com/ but right now you gotta go get the atoms to read it) about this very subject.
You can download the plans and parts list for a 3D printer from reprap.org and the parts should cost less than $1000. I’m afraid it looks rather tinker-toy-ish.
You can download the plans (including software) for a better one – which can handle multiple materials – at fabathome.org ; in this case the parts for the basic version will cost about $2400 or you can buy the basic version, assembled and ready to go, for about $4000. This is not a commercial-grade device by any means, but one adventurous owner has set up his printer to deal with multiple materials simultaneously – and printed a working electric battery. Also, while 3D printing is strictly additive, some of the people involved in this this project are imagining subtractive approaches such as using a Dremel roto-tool as a “print”head. That could open up some serious improvements in surface quality.
There’a also a guy at USC working on printing buildings. NASA’s looking at one of his prototypes and imagining printing buildings on the moon.
Sep 20, 2008 - 12:25 am 26. Robert:interesting, but this presupposes an understanding of the technology of the widget you’re trying to replicate, as ken points out. even a relatively “simple” machine, like a semi automatic pistol, requires understanding the forces acting in and on the mechanism in its operation. heat, pressure, mechanical friction, cyclic timing, mechanical linkages, etc. then you get into the wonderful world of writing a programme the computer can run to acually build your widget. not unsolvable problems but still many process steps between idea and product. thinking will still be required before pushing the magic button.
“gunner”
If you’re designing a new pistol design to print out of your fablab then your statement would be relevant. If you’re printing out a well tested pistol design that has existed for decades then your statement would be irrelevant. The mechanical stresses would have been already accounted for.
Sep 21, 2008 - 8:56 pm 27. Robert:Gunner said:
interesting, but this presupposes an understanding of the technology of the widget you’re trying to replicate, as ken points out. even a relatively “simple” machine, like a semi automatic pistol, requires understanding the forces acting in and on the mechanism in its operation. heat, pressure, mechanical friction, cyclic timing, mechanical linkages, etc. then you get into the wonderful world of writing a programme the computer can run to acually build your widget. not unsolvable problems but still many process steps between idea and product. thinking will still be required before pushing the magic button.
“gunner”
My Reply:
Sep 21, 2008 - 9:02 pmUnfortunately, the strange multi-click system on PJM erased my original reply.
I will reply again.
Your concerns are only relevant if you’re designing a brand new pistol design from scratch, then printing it out of the fablab. They are not relevant to pistol designs that have existed for decades since those concerns have already been addressed.