News outlets and agility

    Mainstream media coverage is interesting. These organizations must be careful to fact check and paint with a broad stroke at the same time. This often means that late breaking stories must be treated with kid handled gloves with the general public in mind. For example Fortune is beginning to report on venture investors. I personally feel that it is too late in the life cycle and should be focused on supporting ancillary products and techniques that would support 3-d printing at the beginning of the life cycle. Major industries have already thrown their hat in, so how does fortune expect these investors that they have tracked down for comment to help? This is often the problem with reporting on something cutting edge to stockholders but originated in the Maker community.

  Cutting edge is temporary, but housing complete with sanitation and running water should cause others to take note. We have discussed 3-d printed foundations with concrete. However this time, the material is sand and special binder 50 sq. feet and 10 feet high. It is 3d-printed with Voxel jet backing. These domiciles are not designed for the financially challenged but rather for students and young professionals. Obviously, quality was of important so we should definitely take heed before the major news outlets get a hold of it.

Supply Chain Revolution

     I worked briefly on supply chain for a local utility right out of college. It was one of the areas that I was sure could be improved. Record keeping, ordering small parts to be shipped over half the country from a warehouse that you hope is organized when you submit the request. If the part isn't at the warehouse then you hunt and make calls to the next closest one to avert disaster on the repair that needs to be handled as soon as possible. Today everyone promotes the buzz words locally sourced food (which may also be 3d-printed).

   As manufacturing centers and NAFTA agreements were made in the 90s centers and jobs moved from the heartland of the United States to China and Mexico. Since then we have to deal with the powerhouse that is Foxconn in China that produce i-phones and sweatshops that make NIKEs. As production goes these large companies did not mind but many humanitarian non-profits do. As democratization  and the world economy rose the made in the USA tag meant less and less. It transitioned from nationalism to a true grass roots desire to be connected but self-suficient. Wnich I think is healthy and the perfect place for 3d printing to step in.

Bandaids and a new way to recycle PLA

 3d systems webinar was very informative and focused on full color printing. After a couple of glitches getting in the webinar I jumped in with Tom Charron. He was speaking on the advantages of full color and high speed through put. Objex unlimited took over next stating that 3d printing is such a competitve advantage that they don't want to disclose for fear of trade secrets getting out. One example shown was a full-color relief  map of a golf course. The first piece of equipment that was shown was Project 4500 it is capable of printing parts that can survive in water without detoriation and these can also be painted on. 3d systems webinar will be on youtube in audio format if you want to listen for yourself.

   Akron has a start up gaining traction in the region. The startups goal is to recycle plastics. This is important to us as it is a crucial life cycle detail in 3d printing. I don't know of their interest in PLA but it should at least be in development. I would be interested in their insights as the by product of iterative product could have a definite impact depending on the scale of the item.

  Moving out of regional to somewhere with international implications is advent of 3d printing water band aids. Because these are a type of membrane created they are not limited topical use. What is still be grasped is the scale. Military applications abound as well as those in 3rd world countries. People who operate in hard to access areas should also be interested as once again additive manufacturing could definitely be used for hazard response.

Tech Literacy leads to gaming?

    Tech literacy is a crucial part of 3d printing, but what does it consist of? Just like our traditional education system tech literacy has levels. An example  of this is making some books accessible while others take work with comprehension. Coding is the catch all be all in web 2.0 design while Autocad is the off-line version both should be considered the pinnacle of tech literacy in this day and age. 3d systems booth at the Science and engineering will show off some of the company's educational endeavors. Blokify is a game-like 3 design environment that designed to help literacy. Gaining literacy should be fun and 3d systems wants to aim the public in this general direction.

   3d printing is projected to reach a million homes by 2018. How does this scale to similar tech industries? A new console from Sony the PS4 has reached an install base of 7 million after 6 months. In 3d printing  we are looking for the same tipping point that drove the Atari 2600 into homes in the early 80s and  arcade cabinets as gathering places around the country. We hope that the model can be similarly adopted by 3-printing.

Challenges and Regions

    Let's take a minute and take the temperature of 3d printing as it affects us in the region. We understand the pluses. 3-d printing democratizes manufacturing therefore decentralizing centers and many of the complaints that could lower tarriffs and ease political relationships where NAFTA was a huge focus. It also puts consumer in granular control. Much of the negative press associated with 3d printed guns has subsided.

   In the region Cleveland has begun hosting confernces and integrating into the public library system (another field trip from last summer) Youngstown State is also starting an additive manufacturing major. I have been in contact with the Dean of this department and hopefully this will reap positive rewards for the blog and region. There are also challenges, the first in the region being that Akron for all if its medical prowess and polymer science has not become a major player in North East Ohio yet.

   One micron is the best available unit accuracy that 3d printing can achieve. This is accuracy is staisfactory for electronics but the next goal should be to integrate sensors and communiccation arrays from the start. The goal of 3d printing medical devices is based on digital but the industry is still in process of digitizing medicine records themselves. It is also less resistant than classically molded parts. Then they are the legal risks which include excercising a degree of caution, slowing down microfabrication. Intellectual property rights are a major issue that will have to be solved with the rapidly evolving innovation.

Smiles and colors

   3d systems is hosting another webinar. I am expecting a large technical data dump complete with graphs and timelines. All dynamic information is open to interpretation in these circumstances. It often times falls to the audience to interpret and find out what we can use and leave behind.

   We have spoken about 3d printing body parts whether it be for rehearsal or replacement. As 3d-systems most likely will point out. Color will provide a variety of new uses. Humans all realize that a nice smile is often a key to persuasion and charisma. So why not start here? The 3z Lab Printer that is now sold can replicate teeth to create molds for crowns and bridges with a wax like material. The company pioneering it Live Wire in my backyard of northeast Ohio has been printing dental models since October. Hopefully, I will find out more about this company and create a connection in the future.

Roads and scale

 

 Scale is an important part of 3d- printable the larger the object the longer it takes to print. If we take the same rules and apply them to our narrative we often need to go from elevator pitch to continuing narrative of a blog. The difference is when communicating technical ideas orally the listeners picks up on buzzwords and ignores technical jargon.
 The ability to convey information in a point in time is different than the background information and forward thinking a continuing narrative encourages actions as well as progression.

  There are glow in the dark road ways in the Netherlands and also roads that light up road peripheral upon passing. The whole desire is to be energy efficient upon passing when there is not construction. Finally, there are snow flakes that appear thermally on the roadway. So we basically have the problem United States where the infrastructure has been reported as severely lacking. So how could 3-d printing affect this nationwide industry. The nations infrastructure is built around plants, plans, delivery and installation. There are lots of gaps in transportation and improvements can be definitely be made in safety because ultimately work zones are kept alive and right next to real traffic. This is part of a continuing narrative that I would like to address as I believe the agile functions of 3d printing can address and become a partner to this industry.

Grants and startups

Grant writing is not a solo sport you need partners. With blogging the goal is to create a community while with grant writing you establish a community. Because there are rigid guidelines everything thing cannot be as organic in nature with energy and synergy. There must be deadlines and budgets that take priority.What I am trying to figure out is where startups fit in this updated order of things. We think of startups for the most part springing from silicon valley. With seed money and angel investors gifting small companies with big ideas truck loads of cash for development. Then those companies swallow other companies they believe will be beneficial to their cause and so on and so forth. This leads me to another goal I would like to accomplish before the end of the year that of a grant peer reviewer. So hopefully another milestone I can update you with!

Kickstarter 3d-printing star

    The 3d-printing landscape change may be due to kickstarter. It is a micro 3d-printer with a goal of 50k in order to actualize the project. It accomplished its goal and then some as it raised 1 million dollars in one day. It shows interest outside of the established hand shake and vendor deals of companies that are publicly offered to investors. It is similar to a Makerbot except the size is the printing space is at 7.3 inches The weight is also easily managed at 2.2 lbs. making it portable. But one of the overlooked layman's design aspect that is not lost on machinists and engineers is the leveling aspect. As I mentioned before to the navy would love to incorporate 3d printers but it needs a dedicated space because the more delicate and intricate things the more controlled your environment needs to be. But you could also consider scaling down your controlled environment like the mainframes of old. Hopefully, this 3d printer is not so under powered as to render it like another kickstarter star the OUYA which intended to bring the console experience to users at a much more inexpensive format. It was also popular and then outdated by the rest of the industry in months as their innovations could not keep up with the R&D departments.

Remote abilities and scope

    Beginning at the beginning with grant writing will be a difficult undertaking. However I do find it will be similar to writing a proposal for construction. After my first submission I do believe with most things as a civil engineer it will take some iteration to find the proper scope and partner. Ideally, I would like to work with municipalities with a grant in my pocket to turn a trial basis to a larger scale.

Manufacturing remotely in non-ideal conditions is a strength of 3d-printing with remote monitoring, the ability to print it's own replacement parts and various other supply chain benefits. That is why the Navy and NASA both see the ability for 3-d printing to make their lives much easier. There are hurdles though as machine shops would need to be designed for a dynamic environment of a ship with pitch, roll and yaw. The army is already using 3d printers in combat and given the rivalry between the Armed Services where there is a will there is a way.

Seminars and growth

    I was invited to a nationwide seminar on Tuesday on you guessed it, 3-d printing. It takes place tomorrow, it was kind of short notice but I hope these take place more regularly. As the industry moves forward we must also try to move forward as well. We can't expect the 3d printers to do all the heavy lifting. So my goal is in four months to write a grant involving 3d printing and hopefully some ground breaking uses.  I will be building off of ideas that I have blogged about here and building new ones. So if there are any posts that you would like to see more formally fleshed out I would be happy to take them into consideration.

  I am inspired to write a grant (deadline my birthday) by stories like these The first-3d printed skull helped  a with a woman with a rare condition that caused her skull to get heavier every year (as time went on) It was then replaced and installed with a 3d printed version. It has yet to be determined how long the skull would last decades or a few years. It truly shows high quality and high reward design cases that are rare but when the foundation is there but the condition is yet to be explored.

Laws and Forecasts

   I am happy to report that I have avoided all internet April Fool's jokes having to do with 3-d printers. A burgeoning industry that depends heavily on the internet has to avoid these cultural pitfalls. Also with April 1, we have completed the first business quarter of 2014 with the majority of reports stating that as an industry indicators are looking very positive. Hopefully, these forecasts are existing outside of the overall tech resurgence where companies are swallowing startups at an alarming rate. That is not the hurdle that concerns me because 3-d printing is heavily entrenched in the maker community, which is not easily swayed. However, with creators comes imagination that for the most part knows no bounds. The only constriction in 3d printing seems to be the ability to own and build off your own ideas. While there is a strong sense of community patent trolls can stifle ingenuity and rewarding those that truly take chances. Patent law depends heavily on knowledge of the industry so you are aware of bounds that can be crossed and those deemed illegal. We see through Apple and Samsungs continued path to the courtroom in the mobile realm that when titans get involved all primary and secondary industries can be affected. Let's hope that those of us with abilities to interpret law make sure those that deserve credit and the financial gains that may come along with it receive

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