3D Printing in Design

      3D printing, abridged to 3DP by early adopters, has opened up the borders of design and manufacturing to new and smaller companies, designers, and innovators.  Sharing designs for prototypes across multiple time zones, rapid and instantaneous development of building models in AutoCAD, and printing all of these items in-house has reduced the cost and increased the access of innovation in design and architecture. But 3D scanning technology is still in early development phase. There remain significant barriers and limitations to the technology. Most objects that are textured and opaque can be scanned into a computer, analyzed and deconstructed by software, and received as a 3D model.  (Source: Independently produced video footage from New York Expo)  Some textured objects; translucent materials like glass, extremely large objects, and shiny objects can still not be processed well by scanning software. 3D scanning is still evolving is because it developed out of a need to fill the knowledge gap between experienced 3D software users and customers new to the product.  Therefore, 3D scanning is a necessity within the 3D technology spectrum and should remain accessible and easy to use for the average consumer. 

Source: Engineering.com   
       For prototyping applications, 3D printing is widely recognized as an efficient way of proving new ideas and concepts. The access and low costs that 3D printing provides allow designers to develop multiple, cost-effective iterations during the design process.3D printing creates infinitely customizable, tangible products. It allows for rapid manufacturing and on-demand customization, which also increases demands from clients and customers.  

    Designers are able to use 3D printing to provide them with opportunities to make their ideas come to life and build actual models instead of theoretical models. 3D printing offers product developers the ability to print different parts of a model using multiple materials simultaneously.These materials can have different mechanical, composite, and versatile properties, but are flowing through the same 3D printing device. Companies such as Stratasys are selling 3D printers that incorporate materials that the first iteration of 3D printers was not able to combine.Printers like the Objet Connex500 use over-molding, which is an injection molding process involving two materials molded together, and double-injection, which is the process of molding plastic around a preformed plastic or metal core. (Source: stratasys.com and R&D Technologies.com)   

    Right is a design of a lamp mold, before the product has been manufactured. Customers are afforded the opportunity to have 3D insight into what the lamp-shade will look like from all angles via a 3d mold, printed for under $4.00 a cubic inch. From there, additional customization can occur. Customers and clients are given clearer and vivid knowledge of the product because of 3D modeling and printing. 

     Here is a video that shows how 3D printing can help distinguish and improve efficiency.  It helps illustrate the concept of 3D printing and the models it produces for clients.

  

    3D printing provides designers and architects with an accessible, cost saving, and efficiency-improving technology.  Architects will have more time to focus on design ideas, as the structural worries most designers face are solved using 3D printing and modeling.  It also provides them with a tracking mechanism to improve designs for clients upon request, but also not lose any details or previous tweaks in design. Some examples of 3D software-to-market are below:

    The picture below was created by a designer, inspired by beautiful lamp shades he found on his first visit to Thailand a couple years ago.  They are normally quite expensive, but he utilized 3D design software to design something similar and began printing his own.  

    Finally there is a fun quick 3D Printing Art Exhibition, where the display arts are all 3D printing products from Objet, the leading producer of advanced, inkjet-based 3D printers working in collaboration with the young designers of Keter Plastic's d-Vision, has donated these 3D printed art pieces to a charity auction to raise money for social and educational youth programs. The charity auction was hosted at the renowned Design Museum.