Why 3D Printing is the 21st Century's Most Revolutionary Invention

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Self-driving cars. Smartphones. Artificial Intelligence. When you think of the most important technological advances of the 21st century, you’d probably think of these. But none are likely to cause such a profound and permanent change to our world as 3D printing. It signals nothing less than the beginning of a third industrial revolution.

The process, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), begins with a 3D computer model which, when connected to a 3D printer, turns an object into thousands of layers and then begins printing slice by slice from the bottom up. These layers combine to create physical, complex and moving objects from an endless list of materials.

The technology behind the process has existed since the 1980s, but it has only been in the past decade that it has become cost efficient enough to break into the mainstream. The printing method creates the conditions for endless personalisation. It will create a world in which everything we consume and interact with will be made to measure, your clothes perfectly tailored, your food expertly crafted and organs biologically printed to extend your lifespan.

A functioning 3D printer massively increases efficiency and produces almost zero waste, and with objects capable of being produced at the click of a button, manufacturing will be changed irreversibly. However, if future aircraft or cars which once relied on thousands of parts now only require a handful of 3D printed components, large swathes of workers along the supply chain could be rendered useless.

The most significant effect of widespread 3D printing, however, is that a higher amount of goods will be created closer to their point of use, thus eliminating the need for mass international shipping. If large 3D printing operations existed on every local high street, consumers and businesses could more easily access supplies and components.

Whilst low-skilled manufacturing jobs could perish, 3D printing has the potential to balance global trade deficits and create the environment for new, high-skilled vocations. Countries with high-skilled workforces, particularly in the Western world, could benefit from the increased demand for bespoke manufacturing and personalised production.

However, 3D printing also represents a rampant and unregulated means of production that has never existed before, and as such is uncharted territory for policy makers. This was shown in 2013 when a blueprint for a 3D printed handgun, the 'Liberator', was published online and widely downloaded before the authorities could take it down.

Such weaponry can be designed to easily circumvent existing gun laws and detection machines. The potential for such dangerous schematics to be readily available to the masses and thus terrorist groups is frightening. Of course, the field is still in its “wild west” infancy and savvy legislation will be needed to protect the public from a proliferation of dangerous items.

Despite the evident dangers that 3D printing poses, the medical applications are exploding, especially in the capital. Just last November, London doctors were the first to 3D print intricate replicas of patients’ hearts, allowing staff to identify those most at risk of developing life-threatening heart diseases and act pre-emptively to treat them. The doctors from the Royal Brompton Hospital claimed the initiative was barely scratching the surface of what is possible with the technology. This optimism is abundant across the medical field, with 3D printed limbs, skulls, skin and organs already being tested and applied.

However, the applications for 3D printing are not solely limited to the manufacturing and medical fields; an important area which holds huge amounts of potential is 3D printed food and produce.

A company which specialises in 3D printing, Natural Machines, has created the business-orientated Foodini, a device which is capable of printing a range of dishes from burgers to pizza perfectly within twenty minutes.

The Foodini was on full display during the London Food Tech Week, with users being able to insert a 100g ingredient cartridge, which then provided the machine with the ability to print a half kilo meal. I was able to see a similar machine slowly create a pepperoni pizza in an almost eerie, clinical and methodological manner.

Despite my initial preconceptions it tasted extraordinarily normal, if not slightly better than many comparable fast food outlets. Many futurologists hope that 3D printed food can revolutionise our dietary habits and change how our food is produced.

Whilst the technology has not been refined fully, we should embrace the positive implications that 3D printing can have, particularly in regards to combatting climate change. If it will soon be possible to mass produce and “print” beef to a similar level of cost and quality, it would completely remove the need for cows in the supply chain. These meats can be created in a sterile lab environment and be indiscernible from the real thing.

This would simultaneously negate one of the planet’s biggest polluters, free up land for more efficient resources and prevent an unparalleled level of slaughter and suffering. This is of course a utopian vision, yet seems increasingly plausible given the rapid expansion of the technology. It was estimated in 2014 that the 3D printing market will grow by 500 per cent in the following five years, with printers that used to cost £30,000 now on the market for a fraction of that cost.

In fact, the most popular 3D printer is now available on Amazon for £400, with thousands of amateur printing enthusiasts across the UK opting to invest and join an increasingly active online community sharing techniques and designs.

However, if you want to get a taste of 3D printing without the hassle, the world’s first 3D printing restaurant, Food Ink, opened in London recently. The restaurant boasts a nine course bonanza in which diners can see their food procedurally created right in front of them whilst sitting on 3D printed chairs and dining with 3D printed cutlery.

We are only at the beginning of witnessing the possibilities that 3D printing can offer. For the first time in history, the means of production is shifting towards consumers. As such, we are at the forefront of an unparalleled leap forward that could unleash a new age of creativity and progress.

#Carl #Opinion