When 3D printing technology has reached the innovative node of micron-level, multi-material, and active material integration, the large-scale application of 3D printing on the industrial side seems to be close at hand. So, what disruptive effects will 3D printing technology have on major industries and daily life?
First of all, the most important thing is that the process, structure, and material innovation of 3D technology will bring brand-new products.
1. The new technology brings new product innovation. In the medical industry, doctors need to make a special personalized diagnosis for patients. For example, medical equipment that needs to be applied to the human body also requires extremely customized manufacturing processes, such as joints suitable for femoral head necrosis, and 3D printing that can withstand the pressure of coughing and sneezing. The trachea, and the movable heart. For some complicated tumor resection operations, doctors can use 3D modeling and 3D printing to produce realistic organ models for the doctors to practice in advance.
In the production of clothing and footwear, the latest light-curing molding technology can also be used to carry out a large-scale production of products such as rubber soles and helmet linings for American football players.
2. The structural innovation of 3D printing will also bring new breakthroughs. For example, using computers and robots to precisely control automated pouring to print more stable and longer bridges with 3D concrete; a startup company called Relativity Space is using 3D printing to manufacture rockets, which has the advantage of being able to produce that traditional manufacturing method cannot. Realized geometric configuration of refrigeration channels; and airlines such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Pratt Whitney, and other airlines have begun to use 3D printing to manufacture metal parts of jet engines. This method is cheaper than milling and makes Complex components are lighter.
3. The use of new materials will also bring new production methods. For example, 3D printing technology can use a new metal material called microlattice. The interior is empty and completely transparent, but it has excellent flexibility and is suitable for high-safety and low-quality requirements such as aircraft bulkheads and doors. Due to the complex structure, the traditional industrial manufacturing process is difficult to apply, but the use of 3D printing technology can easily complete the manufacture of such materials.
Furthermore, 3D printing technology will also greatly change the supply chain system.
For example, a British medical team performed malaria parasite diagnosis in the wild in Tanzania, and some equipment parts and consumables of the optical microscope were often damaged or lacked. The researchers designed a set of 3D models of microscopes, which can be used to print other parts in the field except for cameras, motors, and lenses through a 3D printer.
And, like the 3D composite material printing that my country tested in the space capsule at the beginning, it is precisely for the advancement of technology accumulation for future space construction. In the future, as long as there are mature and efficient printing equipment and only need to obtain the data model of the products to be manufactured, localized materials and printing can be realized. This will completely change the traditional time-consuming, delayed, bloated, and linear supply chain system.
Now, we have seen 3D printing technology, which has brought many changes in the fields of medical equipment, aerospace, construction, automobiles, and industrial manufacturing. Judging from the current situation, this change will become faster and faster, and the scope of the impact will become wider and wider.
In the future, 3D printing will subvert the production methods of traditional industries and will also bring more brand-new industrial opportunities.