3D Printers could soon revolutionize daily life in remote and isolated communities says an associate professor from the University of Regina.
David Gerhard is a computer scientist who is carefully studying the technology some say could impact the world as significantly as the internet.
He explains 3D printers have actually been around for the last 30 years but it’s only recently they made their mark in the public domain.
“In the last few years some key patents expired — opening the door for companies like MakerBot to create them for $2,000,” he says.
Already the impact has been profound.
A simple glance on the web shows people using 3D pens to create springs and cubes out of thin air while a libertarian activist drew headlines around the world after he used a larger device to create a working gun.
Jewelry, buttons, toys, wrenches, pieces of machinery and automotive parts, bike wheels, you name it, there are blueprints or “models” for these and thousands of other items already on the internet.
The most common printers resemble large microwaves or photocopiers that can sit on a desk with various openings for the raw material to get fed into them.
“A 3D printer is a machine that can accurately place raw materials, he explains.
The printer that utilizes plastic is the most-common design according to Gerhard. A spool of plastic filament (thread) gets fed into the printer head which melts the plastic, the operator or machine can then move that printer-head around and the plastic begins to get drawn out onto a surface. Then, step-by-step layers are added and a piece is slowly created, several dozen layers later it’s a physical object. It can then be picked up — “as if you made it in a factory instead of a desktop,” he finishes.
Most of the printers use plastic but Gerhard says some more-expensive models use ceramics or metals.
Right now he says the International Space Station is looking at putting one up in orbit simply for the convenience of being able to make parts on site.
The advantages for fly-in communities are obvious he says.
“So with a 3D Printer then the idea is instead of having to fly in specialized parts and equipment that have been constructed off-site you can fly in raw materials instead and those are typically much cheaper to ship because they’re more compact, they’re less fragile, you don’t have to worry about packaging and stuff and you can fit a lot more into an airplane.”
As far as food production goes 3D printing of moose-meat and bannock isn’t on the menu.
However he says some scientists are attempting to print pizza out of raw material food-stocks.
The culinary adaptations are still a ways away but as far as basic materials go he says the future is nearly here.
Some schools already have printers in their classrooms he says and you can even buy a model at Staples.
He notes some artists sculpt with them and musicians have used them to print off mouthpieces for their musical instruments.
Bernhard says a large number of his friends also have them but he jokes — they, like himself, are “techno-geeks” who can’t get enough of the new technology.