Extra
Credit Blog – How to Make Almost Anything
What is 3-D printing? It’s an abstract thing to
think about given our 2 dimensional views of a “printer”. A 3D printer is
essentially a machine that can fabricate “things”. Just as a Xerox copier in
your office can print images, text, pictures, etc, a 3D printer can actually
create the objects you are viewing in two dimensions into a real life object…an
object with shape, texture, height, width and depth…something you can feel with
your hand.
The possible uses for this are endless. Can you
imagine going to an auto body shop to get some small machined piece of steel
replaced and instead of the dealer ordering the part, it is created right then
and there? An auto part on-demand…sounds cool doesn’t it? In Japan, you can get
an anatomically correct figurine/statue of yourself just by hanging out for 15
minutes while somebody waves a few beams of light over your body to determine
your body’s proportions.
The most impressive piece of this article is the
analogy of the ribosome to the 3D assembler. A ribosome carries messenger RNA
that not only creates the blueprint for additional proteins, but is the
additional protein itself.
I got the idea to write this blog after a lecture by
my professor, Dr. Troy Voelker. To be honest, I’d never even heard of 3-D
printing prior to his mentioning it during his closing lecture for the day.
This intrigued me and thus, I wrote this blog.
What implications does this have for the business
world? Many. “Digital fabrication will allow individuals to design and produce
tangible objects on demand, wherever and whenever they need them. Widespread
access to these technologies will challenge traditional models of business,
aid, and education.”
I’ll leave you with my favorite passage from the
article “After all, the real strength of a fab lab is not technical; it is
social. The innovative people that drive a knowledge economy share a common
trait: by definition, they are not good at following rules. To be able to
invent, people need to question assumptions. They need to study and work in
environments where it is safe to do that. Advanced educational and research
institutions have room for only a few thousand of those people each. By
bringing welcoming environments to innovators wherever they are, this digital
revolution will make it possible to harness a larger fraction of the planet's
brainpower.”
LINUX
on steroids.
Gershenfeld, Neil, Foreign Affairs, 00157120,
Nov/Dec2012, Vol. 91, Issue 6, December 2012
Reade, Lou. Chemistry & Industry. 4/25/2011,
Issue 8, p14-15. 2p.
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