Is 3D printing a revolution?

A 3D home...

Everyone has heard of 3D printing. But are 3D printers just a trend or are they really a technological revolution? How does 3D printing work, and will 3D printers be available in our everyday lives?

The most common 3D printers are of simple design, made up of very few components. The most important part of the machine is called the extruder head. It is a kind of nozzle which warms up the filament of plastic that you want to print with, and drop it by tiny layers (0,1 to 0,4 mm) on the printing bed, which is also warm to prevent the plastic from cooling down too fast and crinkling. The extruder head moves on the x and y axis (the horizontal axis) and the bed moves on the y axis (the vertical axis). This allows the happy owner of a 3D printer to print any small object with a special plastic and lot of patience because it is really hard to have accurate printing for beginners. It sometimes takes a few hours to print even small stuff but patience is the first quality of a good handyman.

Nowadays it is quite easy to get a 3D printer. The ready-to-print models sell for as low as $1000, but you can buy a kit for $300 even though they are quite hard to build and really tough to calibrate, so that option is only for advanced DIY enthusiasts.

3D printers are one of the most amazing revolutions of the 21st century but we haven’t seen anything yet. Some of these 3D printers are being developed to build buildings and houses on a huge scale… Amazing isn’t it? If building construction by 3D printing has long been a fantasy, the high-speed development of this technology will make this dream a reality. Many companies are looking into this project and a Russian firm has even managed to print a 37 m² house! There will be legal constraints however; respecting building regulations will be a much greater challenge than the technical aspect itself. Also, many jobs will disappear in the building sector… Meanwhile, 3D construction companies are looking for partners to support them in their projects; so, engineers, investors and developers, if you want to be part of the revolution, contact them without further delay!

Article by Jean Plassart, Nicolas Barbarin & Nicolas Moyne from Massillon (Clermont-Fd)