| Home | Syllabus | Title Page | Introduction | Background | Potential Benefits | Legal | Ethics | Security and Social Issues | Conclusion | Bibliography |
The year 1983 was filled with excitement because for the first time in history a man by the name of Chuck Hull invented the first 3-D printer. Chuck Hull then realized the full potential of this innovative invention, and in 1986 he founded his own company called, 3-D systems. At 3-D systems they were the first to create rapid-prototyping and created the first rapid prototyping system called, SLA 1. Not only that, but Chuck and 3D systems created the .stl file to connect the CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software to print the 3-D object (http://www.3dsystems.com/30-years-innovation). They were the pioneers of this technology. This was a newborn concept that would benefit all types of businesses. After the successful launch of 3D Systems, many other companies sprouted up from this new concept. These companies are: MakerBot Industries., Materialise NV, and Stratasys. All these companies have created a standard on how to make all these magnificent objects. the more companies that engineer 3-D technology device and systems, the better the device will eventually become. Forming a 3-D printed object is quite simple. One could wonder why this technology wasn't readily available sooner. "The 3-D printer is guided by instructions in the design file, squirts out or solidifies powdered, molten, or liquid material into a specific flat pattern. After the first layer solidifies, the 3D "print head" returns and forms another thin layer on top of the first one" (Lipson & Kurman , 2013, p.12). This repetitive process may seem like it would take a lot of work, but it gets the job done faster than a manufacturer would, hence why when they first invented it, 3D systems used it for rapid-prototyping. The most common material to print 3-D objects with is plastic. "3-D printers produce objects using wheels of filaments made of biodegradable plastic PLA (Polyactic acid), an environmentally friendly material derived from corn starch, or ABS (Acylonitrile butadiene styrene) polymer found in fossil fuels " (Canessa & Fonda, 2013, p. 12). Since the creation of 3-D printing in 1983, we have developed other materials in order to print a plethora of objects. The materials that can be printed vary. These include but not limited to: Nylon, wax, ceramics, chocolate, steel, titanium, silver, and bioink (later discussed in ethics). This is just a background on the impressive advancements that 3-D printing has made. It's amazing to think that it has only been around for thirty-one years. The benefits to 3-D printing are evolving every day.