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How 3D Printing Affects Society
Introduction
It’s pretty exciting to think of the many ways in which 3D printing can affect society at this point in its development, particularly as so many people are unaware that even exists, and much less how it is currently being used.
One thing is for sure, 3D printing is here to stay, and it is going to make many people’s lives easier both in their personal lives and in all kinds of professional spheres.
The number of benefits that are sure to reach all kinds of businesses and consumers alike is expected to grow at a steady rate in the coming years, some might even say it will be exponential.
It’s really hard not to think that it will become commonplace in the general public’s mind as a valuable resource to solve and improve upon daily life.
Although it is true that most advances through innovation tend to take considerable time before they’re accepted and integrated by society, it really isn’t too hard to imagine that it will be as common as the microwave, sooner rather than later.
Which Areas of Life is 3D Printing Already Affecting?
Increases in things like speed and scale of construction are sure to make life easier and even more personalized thanks to the capabilities available with 3D printing.
Think of all the different places where it can go as even homes are being printed from the ground up. The question won’t be what are its limits, but rather what aren’t they?
It’s even thought to be essential in the noble mission of colonizing space. This technology is being sent to the moon and pretty soon, and there are plans to deliver it to Mars.
Health and Medicine
One of the most successful applications in 3D printing is in the field of medicine. It is thanks in large part to these kinds of applications that it has received a lot of respect.
A big area for growth within this industry is in the world of prosthetics, where it is being used to give people a new leg on life, literally, among many other things.
It’s really fascinating stuff – for instance, it can be used to make prosthetic ears, fingers, toes, and many other things that we simply wouldn’t have thought possible a few decades ago, and certainly to the degree that 3D printing is able to achieve.
There are even parts of hearts that are being printed and put in people to save their lives! Just think of how you can have something like a hand that’s based on your own actual dimensions so that it can really feel as though it’s your very own.
Fashion and Clothing
Successes are demonstrating that the manufacture of custom items is a considerable asset that this technology offers.
Where this expansion in personalization is sure to make a huge splash is in the fashion business, where paying high prices for limited supply articles are all too common already, but what if you had a profound say in what you want to have made.
The first thing most people think of in regard to these possibilities is shoe wear. A big reason for this is that these are items that are relatively small and, therefore, quite open to lay people´s input.
It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to imagine that one could print out different components of a shoe and then send them over to a tailor to swap the various parts out.
Style and fashion have, for countless years, been a strong propulsor of innovation and growth, and it’s hard not to imagine that they will be impacted by 3D printed production.
Now there are even some stores that have 3D scanners to make it easier for customers to see what the clothes would look like on them.
It stands to reason that in the future, there will be a more developed system where the clothes that you want can be 3D printed as part of broader shopping experience.
It makes all kinds of sense for these avenues to serve as the most direct ways to sway individuals who are becoming increasingly familiarized with the continuous development of this technology and, consequently, the many possible implications.
The Future of 3D Printing
Clothing may seem uninteresting to some readers, but this is a starting point that could have all kinds of compelling reverberations in other areas that we have yet to consider, much less imagine.
This provokes a wide assortment of questions about whether you could print out parts for more significant things in our lives. If you look at the market, there isn’t too much of a shortage of 3D printing models that can handle big jobs.
When these principles are applied to bigger and better things like what we drive, who’s to say how it will affect us as individuals who are not only able to decide what sells but can actually choose the parts and designs that make up cars.
Cars
There are already major companies like BMW and Mini Cooper that have put forth detachable 3D printed car components. While they still have a long way to go to receive widespread attention, it’s pretty hard to imagine that in the future, we won’t be able to actually take out different car components and exchange them with ones that we print in accordance with our wishes.
Housing
This technology also looks poised to give us more control over how we choose to live in our homes. As these trends increase and consumer favor grows, and 3D printing becomes more widely known, it could be just a matter of time before construction contractors take up 3D printing to offer more affordable customized housing options unlike what we’ve seen in the past.
The Environment
If you already have a 3D printer of your own, you’re sure to know about the different types of raw materials, many of which are popping up all the time, that are available on the market for your use.
There are all kinds to choose from, which in turn can allow you to try building all sorts of exciting products. There’s even a big push for the development of bio-composite filaments for the sake of keeping costs down to a minimum and to ensure more sustainable practices.
The implications that could take hold across society are bound to be quite profound and are already changing the way that people are tackling a wide array of home improvement projects. When you look at the technology in terms of its potential to contribute to construction oftentimes, it is very much as though you were working with pieces of Legos.
In many instances, it is where carpentry meets large scheme design, particularly when you’re talking about building large structures the size of full-blown houses.
The amount of money that you can save on costly parts and materials is something that’s going to help this construction method flourish in the eyes of many people across the world.
Materials
Just think of how metal printing is making so many advancements.
Contrary to what was thought possible just a couple decades ago, there are 3D printers that can shape materials like aluminum, tungsten, and even one of the toughest materials of them all, titanium!
Who’s to say what new products will pop up in the market! 3D printing is able to make truly unique creations possible. We can expect newer and newer models, as well as any number of emerging filaments.
Making products with renewable materials that promote sustainable practices, all of which should help make the type of world that we want, a novel feeling reality.
Benefits for Everyone
Ideally, everyday people and not only corporations will be able to take advantage of this capacity and be able to put their imagination to the test with 3D printing.
There are many hopes that have sprung up as a direct result of the advances that come along with 3D printing.
There are some people that believe that it has the potential to really help the most remote of populations catch up to the standard of living that we tend to take for granted.
This rings especially true when you’re talking about remote places where spare parts for things are especially hard to get.
Conclusion
The best way to work out a broad picture of how this technology will affect society is to break it down into the different areas that it is being applied to at present and then let our imagination lead the way!
All you need is a good idea and a bit of know-how about how to work a 3D CAD model on a computer. It’s sure to prove to be more intuitive than people might expect and become a regular fixture in places like schools.
All we need to do is to support each other throughout the many industries that 3D printing is already making waves in. This technology is sure to become second nature in a number of ways and instill itself as a powerful tool to help our dreams fly as high as they may.
