Humanity has come a long way within the last few hundred years, and within the last century, technology has been on the rise. However, it’s doubtful that anyone could have anticipated anything as advanced as what 3D printing has to offer. With the keys to unlimited possibilities, we can make the future bright. This blog post will answer the question, “What are the future implications of 3D printing?” for those curious to know.
Prototyping
Prototyping highlights what is going on right now with science and technology. However, imagine what that would be like on a global scale if everyone had access to their own printers for customs plastics parts manufacturing. This is a real possibility that will only be a matter of time since technology is becoming ever cheaper to produce as it advances.
Once this happens and others can add their creativity and work into society, our technology will advance indefinitely. People can submit their ideas and projects to businesses and sell creations that will improve the quality of life for everyone on the planet.
Lowered Production Cost
As technology becomes more readily available to the public, it will lower in cost. Technology advancing makes this possible. The more advanced it becomes, the easier it is to mass-produce parts and other technologies that make the whole process work seamlessly.
This will end the expense and frustration that humanity has had with trying to figure out how to raise enough funds to pay for this technology. Once it can support itself, everyone can have their own technology at hand.
This means that production will have to be lower in cost to remain available to the public, just like all other commodities. Then, as the economy pours itself into the tech, it will advance even further and faster.
Industrial Parts Replacement
One of the greatest advents to 3D printing has been the production of replacement parts. Some parts are incredibly hard to access or even impossible if manufacturing stops making them.
Now, you can fabricate exact replicas for those rare pieces or even improve upon existing pieces to increase production in your manufacturing facility. There is no limit to what you can create.
World Hunger
Believe it or not, but with simple base ingredients, scientists have been successful at fabricating food products through 3D printing to help to aid in world hunger that has plagued us all for centuries, if not longer. With this at hand, you can make an infinite level of sustainable food products in the blink of an eye. These are perfect for purchasing or donating to those in need.
What is more impressive is that at an industrial level, you can mass-produce these foods with little effort in a short amount of time. This takes a lot of the guesswork out of farming and cooking. Perfecting this is a huge advancement for humanity.
Ending Homelessness
There have already been housing projects in the works in places like Austin, Texas, where manufacturers successfully built the first 3D printed homes in a span of fewer than three days. These homes are stronger than traditionally built homes. However, all the amenities that a traditional home would have—such as air conditioning, water, and light—are more economically and environmentally friendly. This is because creators built them to be energy efficient.
The process used to build these homes includes layering concrete in a narrow tube through printing strategies. As each tube layers on one another, they make hollow bricks of concrete, just like making cinder blocks, but much denser and more adaptable to the elements due to their high-functioning concrete mixture.
But this is only the beginning of what will come. There has been word of other companies reaching out to third-world countries, and many of these similarly styled homes are under construction for those in remote and impoverished areas to have a place to call home.
Businesses
Once the public and private businesses have their own printers, the levels of production will skyrocket. This may reshape the way that humanity thinks about the working sector and what jobs are available, how you can shape careers, and what our role is in all of this.
What is interesting to think about is that with technology like this, no store should ever be out of anything, and if it is, store owners can create it on the spot. This makes for a smooth transaction every time, and the economy will ultimately grow and remain productive and profitable because of it.
Environmental Support
There have been projects underway that provide environmental support, such as rebuilding the great coral reef. For those who have been paying attention to the news and the environment, global warming has put a damper on things within the last few decades.
Every year, consecutively for the last 50 years or so, has become progressively hotter globally. The result of this has been catastrophic. Wildfires burn at exponential rates with no signs of stopping, the polar ice caps melt, and weather patterns become more extreme with hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and storms, unlike anything anyone has ever seen.
But above all other things, the coral reefs dying off is one of the most concerning aspects of global warming. These reefs are so important because they keep most of the oceanic life healthy and alive, and that greatly affects the rest of the world and the food chain.
This means that if these reefs die off, we could see more than half the species of all animal and plant wildlife die off as well. This could be disastrous. However, because we are working to restore the great barrier reef and all other coral reefs with 3D printing, there is still time. And there is still a chance to make amends of things.
Who knows what the future implications of 3D printing are. What we can know is that we are moving in the right direction, and let’s hope that we continue to make progress and never slow down for the sake of humanity and the Earth.
