There is a topic we have been meaning to discuss here at Prinding for a while now and that is how 3D printing is changing the world of architecture. Architecture students often share mixed feeling when talking about architectural models. A real life scaled down copy of a project, the architectural model is both an easy way to 'test' the project and a way of sharing the project with others. Even though the architect can most probably envision his project finalized from the blueprints or a rendered model more often than not clients will find it hard to visualize the project in their minds.

Much to their dismay architects often walk away from meeting feeling that if only they could show the client what the project would look like they could have closed the contract then and there. Since the clients are couples who wish to buy a house or businessmen who wish to choose one of several designs for the new offices they are building there is nothing better than a tangible 3D print.

From an AutoCAD or 3DMax file straight to the printer a project can come to life in a matter of minutes. It is a magical feeling, to hold a design, an idea, in your hands and look at it as if it were already built. This becomes even more important when presenting the project to others. A 3D print can enable the clients to see the full breadth of the project, the macro of it, as well as the small gritty details.

While most professionals who work in dexterous professions get to train their skills before putting them to use some lines of work leave no room for error. Surgeons are a prime example of this. In the past decades medical schools have relied on a variety of different technologies to help train surgeons; starting with simulators and ending with artificial models. Recently they have also begun to use 3D Printing for this particular purpose.

The two most prominent features of 3D printing are the customizability of models and the variety of materials enabling Health Care centers to create customized models to help better train professionals. This is a very interesting use of the unique advantages of 3D Printing. For example, being able to create a specific model for a specific anomaly can help doctors practice on an exact model of a special tumor that is located adjacent to a patient’s brain or skull by taking images from a MRI scan and creating an actual model of the tumor taken from the patient just hours before the operation.

Another interesting implementation of 3D Printing’s infinite customizability is creating waves of buzz around the world of prosthetics. Traditionally all prosthetic limbs and devices are hand crafted by an artist who specializes in customization of the prostatic to the customer. This service is not cheap and often requires a lot of time in order to fit a particular prosthetic to the client’s unique requirements. However, with the advancement of 3D Printing many prosthetics are now custom made by creating a 3D model and supplementing it with factory made parts. This combination of standardized and customized parts greatly streamlines the process of manufacturing and assimilating the required parts.

An interesting development caused by this is the creation of “designer prosthetics” which fit onto conventional prosthetics.

Soon a 3D Printer will be a part of any modern hospital right next to the MRI and Heart Monitor, but I can’t see it ending there.

3D printing was named rapid prototyping after its main purpose - to create and test out prototypes before they reach the assembly line. When designing a new product, like a keyboard or mobile phone, a designer needs to 'feel' the product in order to get a full grasp of it before sending his design to the assembly line. Sometimes the designer would want to test out a feature or make sure the panels don't overlap. This is what 3D printing was originally intended to assist with. Rather than send the raw design to a factory, have them send a sample, test that sample and send a corrected design, the designer could simply print a prototype, correct it and send a perfected model to the assembly line.

As technology evolved it became an industry standard and today every cell phone and mouse you use were initially a 3D image that was printed. Much like any new technology 3D printing faces two main difficulties: the hardware aspect and the practical aspect. The hardware aspect is slowly progressing and I expect that soon enough not only will 3D printing be widely available in every high-tech company but the increasing range of equipment will enable high end devices to produce medical grade prosthetics while the low end devices will effect everyday use.

The second challenge 3D printing will face is of practicality: where does this technology fit into our lives? How can we use it and how will it grow?
Desoute the fact that 3D printing is limited only by our imagination many people are either unaware of it or do not understand how this technology can serve them. Unlimited customization enables anyone with an imaginative mind and access to a 3D imaging software to create a model from a file but many people are unaware of how much 3D printing can assist them.

For example, many interior designers are discovering that printing an item directly from their rendered project adds a personal touch to their work and is more convenient than looking for a similar item on the market. On the other end of the spectrum hobbyist robot and gadget designers find it easier to simply print their work before assembling it so they can present conventions and investors a working model rather than a rendered version.

Analysts are forecasting 3D printing as the technology of the future, so what are you waiting for, log in.

3D imaging is a powerful tool that in recent years has become an industry standard in interior design. Why bother with sketches when you can render a whole project customize, tweak, and tune it to perfection? The flexibility 3D imaging offers is what made it a cornerstone in the design industry but when moving from vectors to reality some difficulties can occur. Enter 3D printing –

When bringing a 3D image to life 3D printing can do wonders but it is only in the past few months that designers have started to experiment with 3D printing and light. Design is an art that focuses on the finer details and 3D printing offers any designer the opportunity to customize their work by adding the finishing touch: a perfect carbon copy of the lightning and lamps you designed.

3D printing is easily used with a variety of materials to create a unique feel to each lamp or light printed. The translucency, color, and texture are easy to customizable and the results can be quite breath- taking:

This Dragon Fly lamp was designed to resemble an insect’s eye but is in fact created by letting the light reflect off of honeycomb like hexagons and create a dawn-like radiance.

Another example is this Tulip Lamp, printed as a fixture and mounted on a standard lightbulb:

Both of these lamps take advantage of the properties of 3D printing to create an elaborate, one of a kind item but there are other ways to use the technology. For example, in this Reaction Lamp both the intricacy and material properties were taken into account to create a feeling of transparency:

The finished lamp looks and feels like an organic object that was taken out of a coral reef and placed on your dining-room table.

Personally, I am looking forwards to seeing how 3D printing will affect interior design. If future results will be half as impressive as what we see here we have a lot to look forwards to.

In the past few years the industry has been testing the boundaries of 3D printing. Due to the versatility of the printer and the array of materials that it can be used with we are surprised time and time again at how much 3D printing can alter our lives.

Custom made Jewelry is one field in which 3D printing has made a large impact on. Many Jewelers were averse at first to use this new technology because of the ‘assembly belt’ effect: Jewelry needs to be personal and for it to look and feel that way it needs to be hand crafted. Well, not any more. With 3D printing every piece of Jewelry crafted is as unique and custom made as a hand crafted piece. Furthermore, 3D printed Jewelry is seamless and allows for a greater versatility, enabling you to cast intricate shapes that would otherwise require multiple steps to create.

The first ring is by Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenburg –

This next ring was made by Jo Hayes-Ward using conventional Jewelry techniques alongside 3D printing. The ring is 24 karat gold and so intricate it looks unreal –

While the range of materials used continues to increase, the possibilities opening up to us are almost infinite. Here is another example of Gonçalo Campos’ 3D printed pendent. What is remarkable about it is not only the fact it was made of steel but that the texture that is created by the printing process was integrated into the work rather than polished off to create a unique feel to the pendant.

To finish off this week’s entry I would like to present you a video of the people at Z-corp skateboarding on a 3D printed skateboard. The skateboard was 3D printed and constructed with standard trucks, wheels and bearings. The most impressive part is that skateboarding decks are usually made of six to seven-ply cross-laminated layup of Canadian maple wood in order to create the durability and robustness required of a skateboard and yet 3D printing can offer that durability in a fracture of the time and effort it takes to create a classic deck.

What items would you like to see made in 3D printing? Answer in the comm