3D printing is everywhere these days; it seems like wherever you look – online, in the papers, on the news – there are stories each week now about 3D printing. Some are good – such as the news that doctors are now utilising the potential of 3D printing to produce inexpensive and instant replacement body parts – whereas some are more negative – such as the news that criminals are using 3D printing to produce working guns that can pass through metal detectors.
As you can imagine, the more negative stories have naturally led to several calls for this latest technological breakthrough to be better legislated – or even banned altogether – but it’s questionable whether the technology itself can be blamed. As with many other things in life – the internet for one – as long as tools exist, humans will find both good and bad uses for them.
But putting the uses of 3D printing to one side, you can’t deny that this nascent technology is nevertheless ground-breaking and still offers us some wonderful possibilities, and you’ll be pleased to hear that Manchester is right at the vanguard of the 3D printing revolution. From being key players in the development of the technology to providing spaces where 3D printing can be encouraged and can grow, Manchester is at the centre of this latest printing phase, and that’s something we here at NWD are incredibly proud of.
What Is 3D Printing?
According to Wikipedia;
“3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), refers to processes used to synthesize a three-dimensional object in which successive layers of material are formed under computer control to create an object.”
Whilst the concept behind 3D printing sounds simple enough, the process used to create a 3D object is actually very complex and there are several ways of achieving the end goal. In fact, 3D printing is actually an umbrella term that can refer to one of a few methods of creating the finished object; whilst all methods use the additive principle, the way that they do this and the materials they use differ greatly.
For example, some 3D printers create the 3D object by fusing together subsequent layers of plastic, whilst others use a powdered compound followed by a heat source that fuses the powder together, whereas yet others begin with a full vat of powered plastic, metal, glass or ceramic and then use lasers to fuse the powders together in the required shape, leaving the remaining powder to fall away unused. Each method has its own pros and cons and, as this technology is still in its infancy, new and improved techniques are being developed all the time.
3D Printing: An Emerging Technology
Because, whilst the basic idea behind 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, the means only really became available to the mass market in the first decade of the 21st century, meaning that this technology is still incredibly new. Unlike traditional printing, 3D printing has not yet become ubiquitous and, despite the cost of it falling dramatically since 2012, it will still be some years yet before we see a 3D printer in every domestic home.
Nevertheless, like all technology today, the rate at which this technology is advancing is quite phenomenal, and Manchester is at the heart of that movement. In particular, the University of Manchester is a world renowned leader in the field of 3D printing research and, through the Digital Fabrication Centre, is providing a centre of excellence for research and practical applications, as well as being one of the city’s primary ways for the general public to access this ground-breaking technology.
3D Printing in Manchester With Graphene
Furthermore, one of the latest developments in the 3D printing world surrounds the use of graphene as the base material and Manchester is once again key to this. Having been discovered in 2003 by two professors from the University of Manchester, graphene is a revolutionary new material with some enviable properties; being the thinnest material on earth, as tough as diamonds, 100 times stronger than steel and as flexible as rubber, it is also a great conductor of heat and electricity and is practically see-through. Needless to say, graphene is an incredibly versatile materiel whose potential is only just being realised.
Now known as ‘Graphene City’, Manchester remains at the heart of global research into graphene and last year unveiled the £61m world leading centre for Graphene research, the National Graphene Institute. Part of the University of Manchester, the NGI has state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that allow academics to collaborate with scientists from all over the world to further research the possibilities of this amazing material.
And one such use for graphene being considered is for 3D printing. Academics from various departments within the University of Manchester have been collaborating with each other and institutions in America to develop the technology for 3D printing with graphene. Whilst speaking of this, Toby Heys, a Digital Research Fellow and Media Research Centre Leader at Manchester University stated;
“Having the capacity to 3D print with graphene will be an important breakthrough in the evolution of printing very strong lightweight materials. More specifically, in terms of our current research project it will allow a next-generation additive manufacturing technology to be developed that allows graphene to be rapidly printed into a range of useful 3D structures.”
3D Printing For The Masses
But whilst we may not have 3D printers in every home just yet, this blossoming technology is far from being just for the scientists. From nerdy beginnings as the play thing of geeks, 3D printing is now available for us normal folk to try, provided we have the right 3D printing file, of course!
In addition to the facilities available at Manchester University, there are many other places around the city where you can try 3D printing, whether you are a complete novice or a bit of a wiz. To find the nearest, cheapest or most appropriate 3D printers for you, the 3D Hubs website is a great little resource, or you could just Google it, of course!
The Future Of Printing?
Obviously, this technology has a long way to go yet before it becomes a fundamental part of 21st century manufacturing, but that hasn’t stopped the Futurologist, Jeremy Rifkin, from claiming 3D printing signals the beginning of a third industrial revolution, as it will soon replace the production line assembly model that has dominated manufacturing since the late 19th century.
Nevertheless, for us ordinary folk, 3D printing is probably quite a way off becoming one of our every day activities, so it’s good old 2D printing for us for the foreseeable future.
If you’d like to know more about either 3D or 2D printing, then you can get in touch with us here at North West Digital and pick our brains about all things printing. You can contact us in any of the usual ways; by phone on 0161 477 8950, by email at info@ or by filling out the contact form on the website for one of our fabulous team to get back to you.