“Traditional manufacturing is always going to be subtractive. You’re going to start with some sort of stock and then take away from that to get your end product. 3D printing is the exact opposite where you’re starting with nothing and you’re building up layer by layer.”
Applications and technology have really changed the look and feel of the world in the last decade. Transportation, finances, dating, you name it, it’s all been changed and it all feels very different than it did just 10 years ago. One area that might not seem very different is how we make physical goods. Manufacturing mass quantities of goods that we use has remained fairly the same, but that doesn’t mean that nothing has changed. Recently, mainstream adoption and advancements in 3D printing have paved the way for a whole new type of manufacturing, and with it, entirely new possibilities about the products we can make.
“You could have the exact size of a femur [that a patient needs] that would be printed in titanium and is safe to the human body, and it will now work as their leg. So medical applications are growing and are kind of boundless.”
“I see it that kids will start learning how to 3D print. You’ll see 3D printers in libraries and they’ll be able to go in there and print their own toys, their own widgets, and that will grow with the generation. They’ll say, ‘hey, we can design and print our own things as we need them.’”
Interview Contents
2:40 - Traditional manufacturing vs. 3D printing
4:35 - When 3D printing began
5:40 - The first iteration of 3D printing vs. modern
7:20 - What a 3D printer looks like
8:30 - The process to printing
13:45 - 3D scanning: How it works and use cases
17:30 - How 3D printing works and how long it takes
23:15 - Hobbyist vs. professional grade
25:00 - The materials used for 3D printing.
26:40 - Time it takes to create something.
31:30 - More people getting interested in 3D printing.
33:00 - Personal use 3D printing.
34:30 - Making hobbies better with 3D printing.
38:00 - Cost to get a personal 3D printer.
41:30 - Current and future potential of 3D printing
Links
Tom’s Company: www.cadimensions.com
CAD Software Company: www.solidworks.com
3D Printing Company: www.stratasys.com
Free part downloads: https://grabcad.com/ and https://www.thingiverse.com
3D printed building reference: http://craft.usc.edu/CC/modem.html
3D printing stem cells: http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-07-26/scientists-create-3d-printed-brain-like-tissue-from-stem-cells/8740794
THIS EPISODE WAS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Kevin Cole
Marcus Batson
Roxanna
Michelle & Jim Wortner
Janelle Swanson
Jimmy Seymour
