3D printing

A 3-D Printer Created This Shoe (March 31, 2012)

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2012/03/31/nr-kaye-3d-printer.cnn#/video/tech/2012/03/31/nr-kaye-3d-printer.cnn

3D printing is not a brand new technology. It has been around for a few years now. A 3D printer will actually create an object that a person can physically pick up and maybe even use. The printer uses a type of plastic and creates layers to build an object from the ground up. On CNN, they had 3 of these #D printers printing different objects. The person who owned the printers had made a small head that resembled that of the CNN anchor. The printers can print in color, so virtually any object is within reach in a few minutes. This printer is not only very cool, but it can be extremely useful to a company that wants to create prototypes or models inexpensively. We had an old 3D printer in my high school, but it was not nearly as good as the ones seen on this news clip. The one in my high school created a rough object in only one color. It was interesting to see how technology has improved since the 3D printing was first invented, and it made me think of all the things I could make with one of the printers. I think that the most common use would be for companies that make small objects and need to make models to work with and improve on. I can only think of one idea to improve on this technology. I have no idea how this would work, but a 3D printer would be able to create virtually anything if it could switch materials. As of now, it can only print with a single material, which is a sort of plastic. It makes strong objects and being able to print in as many colors as a regular printer can is an improvement on the old technology. But being able to print with different materials would allow a company such as apple to create prototypes with the materials they are fond of using, such as glass, brushed aluminum, and chrome. This may have a place in the future, but for now, the 3D printer is a very useful tool.