Thursday, June 11, 2015

The History Of 3D Printing Solid Concepts

By Elaine Guthrie


Additive manufacturing or, as it is most commonly called, 3D printing is changing the way people are living their daily lives. This modern tech is now widely used by almost every manufacturing company out there and is rapidly evolving. Some say it is already even larger than the internet. But let us not get ahead of ourselves.

So what is 3D printing. To put it simply, it is creating something physically out of just a three dimensional model. Understanding what 3D printing solid concepts is is important if you ever want to get into the industry business. But if we really want to understand what this is, we need to go back and check into its background and history first.

Ever since the dawn of mankind, people have always been reliant of manual labor in relation to production. Take for example the pyramids of Giza, which unfortunately claimed the lives of so many unfortunate slaves back in its day. But today, thanks to technology, we need not worry about such things as casualties or the like anymore.

In the age we live in today, manufacturing products is now as easy as a shout of a command, a flick of the wrist, or a push of button. By allowing these babies to run their magic, companies could just sit and watch as these machines do everything for them. And who else to thank but the megaminds and geniuses who have invented such a brilliant technology.

Rapid prototyping or, as it is more commonly called now, additive manufacturing was first introduced in the late 80s. In 1986, the patent was first issued by a Charles Hull. As an added bonus, he also invented its first prototype back in 1983. After rigorous testing, his company was finally able to sell its first machine in 1988.

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, production of these systems were still widely sought out. Newer models were also introduced around these times as well and were met with increasingly great demand. The idea of mass producing these systems was instantly pitched and immediately approved. Amazingly enough, every one of these systems, new and old, are still surprisingly based on the first patent and prototype. Truly staying true to its roots.

In 2007, some companies attempted to lower the costs to be able to buy one of these machines to enable the average user to own one. The attempt was to produce an entry level version of said machine. The attempt was a failure since the $10,000 price tag these companies settled for was still too expensive for the every day user.

Soon after, more companies came into play to produce a 3D printing machine that would only cost $5,000. All for the sole purpose of opening up this kind of technology to more and more people. And in 2009, the very first cost friendly additive manufacturing machine was created and was open to the public. It met great success.

The rise of this system is continuing even as we speak. Maybe in later years we will be able to see one in every household. Technology is truly magnificent and mankind is finally fast approaching the future we have perceived in many movies and TV shows.




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