Some day her prints will come…
Political power grows out of the nozzle of a 3-D Printer.
Some day her prints will come…
Political power grows out of the nozzle of a 3-D Printer.
“Additive manufacturing or 3D printing[1] is a process of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes.[2] 3D printing is also considered distinct from traditional machining techniques, which mostly rely on the removal of material by methods such as cutting or drilling (subtractive processes).
A 3D printer is a limited type of industrial robot that is capable of carrying out an additive process under computer control.
While 3D printing technology has been around since the 1980s, it was not until the early 2010s that the printers became widely available commercially.[3] The first working 3D printer was created in 1984 by Chuck Hull of 3D Systems Corp.[4] Since the start of the 21st century there has been a large growth in the sales of these machines, and their price has dropped substantially.[5] According to Wohlers Associates, a consultancy, the market for 3D printers and services was worth $2.2 billion worldwide in 2012, up 29% from 2011.[6]
The 3D printing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in architecture, construction (AEC), industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields. One study has found[7] that open source 3D printing could become a mass market item because domestic 3D printers can offset their capital costs by enabling consumers to avoid costs associated with purchasing common household objects.[8] ...”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
Drawings are inspection documents, machines and people by removing material have to build to print, and the part has to meet some standard like ASTM or the process has to be very controlled or repeatable, and if not it has to be inspected.
But this 3D manufacturing process if repeatable and this is just a guess on my part would be spot on, all the time. No inspections, and all the process check-offs when you remove material, and less personnel period.
This is a big cost saver for manufacturers, especially if they are Unionized.
Tell me where I am wrong here...
