Invented about 30 year ago, the 3D printing technique turns out to be a huge step in the industrial evolution of mankind. Though based on the regular printing system used by ink printers, 3D printing uses the most diverse materials, from plastic to silver, Nylon 12 or even titanium, by overlaying layers of material.
The future of mankind seems to be moving fast forward and the printing technique is keeping up with this trend, allowing the creation of a prototype in a very short time. Once tested and approved, the object can be produced by printing or by traditional techniques. For example, classic prototype production for a new machine may take several weeks, while 3D printing takes up to 2 days.
Another advantage of this technology is that, once the virtual model is created, the 3D printer can generate forms that cannot be produced using classical technology. For example, MIT researchers used 3D printing to create a concrete pillar of extraordinary strength based on the plant stem model, which consists of vertical filaments with different densities.
The large 3D printers can be very expensive, up to $ 1 million, but those that produce small parts can be sold even for $ 1,000, becoming more and more accessible to the general public who, in the near future, will be able to print at home the things they want on the internet. Thus, children could have the toy they have always dreamed of: a magic wand that can fulfill almost any desire, from various games and objects to food.
In fact, this printing technique has also proven to be effective for fine objects. Thus, musical instruments made of polyamide (even a Stradivarius violin), ornamental objects, clothes made of a material called Nylon 12, bicycles, medical devices or even food have been successfully printed.
Therefore, the future of mankind seems to rely on a magic wand or a replicator, like the one on the Enterprise spaceship, which can produce everything we want in a very short time.
