3D Printing Is Impacting Manufacturing, Medicine and Design
3D printing Is Rapidly Becoming Hugely Important
The most recent issue of The Economist predicted that this “additive manufacturing” process would bring manufacturing from offshore back to the United States. The reason for this disruption: 3D printing permits rapid customization of products, and in those circumstances it is much more economically sound to have the manufacturing closer to the customer, thereby enabling a rapid response to customer preferences.
Medical Uses Of 3D Printing
Example of replication of a real object by means of 3D scanning and 3D printing. The gargoyle model on the left was digitally acquired by using a 3D scanner and the produced 3D data was processed using MeshLab. The resulting digital 3D model, shown in the screen of the laptop, was used by a rapid prototyping machine to create a real resin replica of original object. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As I described in an earlier post, a Belgian company and associated surgeons have replaced an elderly woman’s degenerating jawbone with a 3D printed, customized titanium replacement. Shortly after waking from surgery, she was able to speak a few words. A day after surgery, she was speaking and swallowing normally again.
How The Software Runs Creates 3D Objects From Photos Or Plans
The video embedded below demonstrates a software program (AutoCAD) turning photographs into a 3D printed object:
(Video from SmartPlanet.com)
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Author: Jim Browning
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