3D Printers Bring Imagination to Life

Nov 2, 2012 by Juniette Fiore

Wouldn’t it be great if you could imagine something and then watching it come to life by just clicking a few buttons? That’s what 3D printers are for.

3D printing is basically done by a machine that lays down plastic one layer at a time to form an object. Any object you design can come to life. People have already made bicycles, mini racing cars, and parts for engines. Imagine what else you could make if you had one of your own.

Luckily, many 3D companies have decided that it is time to make their printers more affordable and accessible to others. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to just go pick one up at your local Office Depot, but it would definitely be cheaper than buying a new car.

Formlabs, in fact, began a kickstarter project to raise money so that they could bring to market their new 3D printer design. They only needed $100,000 but ended up with $2.9 million on their hands. That goes to show how many people have an interest in this new technology.

Formlabs, unlike many other manufacturers, decided to take a different approach to printing objects. Instead of laying out plastic one layer at a time, the Form-1 printer would use stereolithography, which means that they would hit a liquid resin with an extremely precise laser.

They decided to improve this old form of 3D printing so that others could afford to use the machine. Right now there are only ridiculously expensive printers and cheap, low-quality ones. Formlabs aims to fill that gap in the middle so that companies and people can own a good quality printer at an affordable price.

The great thing about this new technology is that it has the potential to do good. It could be used in the medical field to form transplantable parts or to build laboratory supplies. It could even help build parts for those missing limbs. Architects and jewelers would also benefit from being able to afford 3D printers, which would give them the ability to create very detailed designs and models. The uses for this machine are infinite.

What would you make if you had a 3D printer?

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