Early breakthroughs point to 3D advances in healthcare, aviation, retail, food, and space travel
The 3D printing world is currently in limbo – the technology is developed enough to attract some attention in the real world, but not enough to bring about change on a substantial scale. New stories emerge everyday of 3D printing breakthroughs, be it through research or the development of actual products.
These breakthroughs tend to apply to a handful of markets, most of which have either used 3D printing in practice or have begun preparing for it. These are the five markets that will see the biggest immediate impact from 3D printing, in no particular order.
1. HEALTHCARE
The healthcare market is already moving ahead quickly with 3D printing. At the Inside 3D Printing conference in New York earlier this month, Dr. Amir Dorafshar, co-director of the Facial Transplantation Program at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, showed some of the opportunities 3D printing has created for craniofacial surgery. Using 3D-printed materials, Dr. Dorafshar and others across the globe are providing breakthrough procedures for patients who have suffered severe head or facial trauma and infants born with abnormalities of the skull or face.
Earlier procedures for these patients involved removing bone from another part of the body and re-purposing it for areas of the skull or face that needed it. This was both imperfect and risky – bone taken from another part of the body will not fit perfectly in place where it’s needed, and the risks of undergoing such a procedure could put the patient’s life in danger.
In his presentation, Dr. Dorafshar showed how 3D printing enables surgeons to create a unique implant that accommodates each individual patient’s needs. In some cases, 3D printing let to procedures that were previously impossible.
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That’s just one example of 3D printing in healthcare, where breakthroughs in other areas have made national headlines. Earlier this year, a 3D-printed “exoskeleton” helped a woman walk for the first time since she was paralyzed in a skiing accident in 1992. Last year, doctors at the University of Michigan used 3D printing to develop a custom splint to prop open the airway for an Ohio infant, helping him breathe without the assistance of a breathing machine for the first time in his life.
Mass production of healthcare materials leaves a lot of patients with unique needs without help. The ability to create individual solutions quickly and affordably is a breakthrough for healthcare.
2. AVIATION
Curtis Carson, head of systems integration for the Center of Competence Manufacturing and Engineering at Airbus, presented images of an entirely 3D-printed airplane at the Inside 3D Printing conference. He spoke of the benefits of a 3D-printed plane cautiously, however, as this kind of transformation is still far away in the future.
In the short term, though, aviation is poised to see some significant efficiency and mechanical improvements from the advent of 3D-printed parts.
In terms of mechanics, the aviation industry already has hard evidence. In January, defense contractor BAE Systems announced the first successful test flight of a military aircraft using 3D-printed parts. The UK’s Royal Air Force 3D printed parts for “protective covers for cockpit radios, support struts on the air intake door and protective guards for power take-off shafts,” according to Dezeen Magazine. BAE Systems estimates that 3D printing could save the Royal Air Force more than $2 million in repairs and maintenance over next four years.
That’s because 3D printing allows aviation companies to produce individual parts more easily. The material used to develop these parts could also make for a much lighter and energy-efficient plane. GE estimates that 3D-printed parts could make each airplane in production about 1,000 pounds lighter. Naturally, that means airplanes will require less fuel, which means both a lower carbon output and a less expensive cost of operation. This could, eventually, mean less expensive air travel for consumers. In aviation, 3D printing could be a win-win.
3. AEROSPACE
Space travel also stands to benefit greatly from 3D printing, although the possibilities extend further beyond cheaper and lighter-weight parts.
One of the largest challenges to extended space travel is storage and maintenance of materials, such as clothing, tools, and food. Astronauts can only stay in space as long as they have these resources.
3D printing, however, enables astronauts to create these resources on-demand. Last May, NASA turned heads when it funded a project that aims to 3D print edible pizza. Its intent was to help Systems & Materials Research Corporation (SMRC), the company developing 3D-printed food prototypes, develop a process for creating food in space. Pizza was the first prototype for a couple reasons: people really love pizza, and it’s created in layers, which lends itself to 3D printing’s process.
NASA has also used 3D printing to create tools that can be used in space, and is reportedly collaborating with a startup called Made In Space on a plan to bring a 3D printer to the International Space Station by October.
4. RETAIL
E-commerce has already had a drastic impact on retail, enabling businesses to ship products to customers within days of their order. 3D printing will take it to the next step, allowing customers to print products in their homes immediately after buying the design files.
3D printing is already capable of creating many of the products available in retail stores – toys, clothing accessories, shoes, cellphone cases, etc. All the industry needs is enough consumers equipped with at-home 3D printers, which are becoming less expensive by the year, and retailers could just as soon begin sending design files to customers so they can print the products themselves. Traditional retail business issues like inventory and shipping could become basically irrelevant.
3D printing is already starting to show signs of life in the retail world. Amazon.com announced a new partnership to start selling 3D-printed products in March, and several companies offer 3D printing services for consumers who want to print a custom design but don’t have their own 3D printer.
When consumer adoption of 3D printers does reach the mainstream, retailers may face significant intellectual property issues. John Hornick, a partner at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner law firm in Washington, DC, warns that retailers will have no way of policing consumers who share design files among themselves. Think of it this way – if one person gets the design file for a plastic toy, nothing is stopping him from printing copies of that toy and distributing it for free or at a discount to everybody in his neighborhood. If retailers don’t find a solution, 3D printing could do to retail what file sharing did to the music industry.
5. FOOD
3D printers aren’t likely to replace the stove and oven any time soon, but the technology has massive potential for certain use cases.see 3D printing as a tool for those who adhere to strict diets, be it for weight loss or other health reasons, such as food allergies. And SMRC, the company that received a grant from NASA to create 3D-printed food for space, sees the technology as a game-changer in third-world countries and other areas where sustainable food is scarce.
The European Union recently announced a $4 million fund to help develop 3D printing processes to develop food catered specifically to the elderly. Other researchers, such as Cornell’s Hod Lipson,
3D-printed food is still in its novelty stage, with companies making specialty items just because they can. But it has the potential to accomplish so much more for people who need it.
Colin Neagle covers emerging technologies and the startup scene for Network World. Follow him on Twitter @ntwrkwrldneagle and keep up with the Microsoft, Cisco and Open Source community blogs. Colin’s email address is cneagle@nww.com.
