B1 - Group B - Matthew Zabiega

                3D printing technologies have been around for decades, and at first were called Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies. As early as May 1980 we see the first patent application for this technology.  Advancements were slow at first, but throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s several different technologies became available. However, the process was still focused solitarily only prototyping applications and R&D teams. After 2005, the technology was still extremely expensive but moved into different applications such as aerospace, automotive, medical and fine jewelry. Finally in 2007, the market was introduced to the first system, Desktop Factory, which was priced under $5,000 which was vastly cheaper than its predecessors.  This opened the door for other companies to invest and research using 3D printing. It wasn’t until 2009 that the first commercially available 3D printing was offered for sale. In 2012 we saw the rise of ‘social media awareness’ in the technology, this made the demand skyrocket, lowered unit price and allowed more development. “Heralded as the 2^nd, 3^rd and, sometimes even, 4^th Industrial Revolution by some, what cannot be denied is the impact that 3D printing is having on the industrial sector and the huge potential that 3D printing is demonstrating or the future of consumers.” (1)

                Now the next huge breakthrough in 3D printing is underway. In order to 3D print anything, it typically has to be of the same material; plastic, metal of glass. As it stood before this breakthrough, if you were able to spend a quarter of a million dollars you were able to extrude 3 materials at once. This is when a team at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) showcased a solution to this materials problem. They created a 3D printer that could extrude up to 10 different materials simultaneously at the fraction of time and cost of its predecessors. This is huge! Now more complex items can be fabricated efficiently and cost effectively. Called the MultiFab, the machine mixes microscopic droplets of photopolymers together and shoots them through inkjet-style printers. Although constructed from ‘off-the-shelf’ components, this machine is very complex. The machine uses a 40-micron (about twice the thickness of a human hair) resolution 3D scanner to know where it is shooting the materials by correcting and re-calibrating itself as the item is progressing. This amount of accuracy allows items to be printed around pre-existing objects. The CSAIL team show-cased this power by printing a phone case... directly onto the phone itself.

            

    This breakthrough can give researchers and hobbyists the chance to create their ideas which were previously impossible to print. This can allow companies and users to edit/finalize designs faster which could bring them to the market sooner. Ramos, a research engineering at CSAIL, envisions a future where large stores can ‘rent’ out this machine and allow people (who do not have $7,000 to purchase it) to print out their product at an reasonable price.  (2)

(1)   3D Printing History: The Free Beginner's Guide - 3D Printing Industry. (2014, May 1). Retrieved January 12, 2016, from http://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/history/

(2)   Evernote shared notebook:. (2015, August 24). Retrieved January 12, 2016, from https://www.evernote.com/pub/aengineer/ae-510#st=p&x=Tags%3A%20Printing&n=6b08ede8-b997-4533-9cc7-d64649c17497