Fabricated The New World of 3D Printing

by Lipson, Hod; Kurman, Melba

• ISBN13: 9781118350638
• ISBN10: 1118350634
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-02-11
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Until now, 3D printing has been stuff of research labs and DIY geek fairs, but it's ready for its debut the mainstream. 3D printers, combined with low-cost, user-friendly computer-aided design software and vibrant online communities and marketplaces, enable regular people to turn their ideas into real objects. Toy makers design historically accurate model trains from old photographs and print identical miniatures. Teachers and students bring book learning to life by sharing design files and 3D printing historical relics and models of human organs. Companies print prototypes of product ideas. And one doesn't have to own a printer to enjoy the fun. Similar to commercial print shops, a growing number of online 3D print services make the technology available to everyone. Consumers design (or select) their desired object, upload the file to the printer's web site, and the 3D print service fabricates in a wide range of materials, ranging from hard plastics, to silver, to spongy foam, to food. Written by the people bringing 3D printing to the masses, this book starts at the beginning, describing the market and machines. It then goes on to describe the software, the design and prototyping options, and how to integrate it all into your surroundings, be it at home, work, or school. It ends by discussing the future of this truly groundbreaking new industry. The book includes: Part I: the technology how they work, industrial and hobbyist models, software Part II: the businesses the marketplace, companies that sell services and host storefronts, design and prototyping companies Part III: how to integrate and use 3D printing - to invent, design, teach, or eat Part IV: the future - the power of combining previously incompatible materials, intellectual property and consumer safety This is the first thorough introduction to this brave new world, brought to you by the people who are making it happen.

Author Biography

Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman put innovative technologies into context. Lipson is a leading researcher and speaker on 3D printing, digital materials, and the transformative power of intelligent machines. His lab at Cornell University has pioneered interdisciplinary research in 3D printing, product design, artificial intelligence, and smart materials. Kurman is an author and technology analyst who covers game-changing technologies in language that intelligent (and busy) non-experts can understand.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Chapter 1: Everything is becoming science fiction 1

Chapter 2: A machine that can make almost anything 7

Printing three-dimensional things 11

The ten principles of 3D printing 20

Chapter 3: Nimble manufacturing: Good, fast, and cheap 25

Somewhere between mass production and the local farmer’s market 27

The blank canvas of the 21st century 35

Chapter 4: Tomorrow’s economy of printable products 45

Like ants with factories 46

The experience economy 51

A future economy of printable products 56

Chapter 5: Printing in layers 65

A manufacturing process at heart 65

Two families of printers 68

Cleaning up design files 77

The raw materials 81

Chapter 6: Design software, the digital canvas 85

A word processor for drawing 85

Today’s design software 91

What you design is not (necessarily) what you print 100

The next generation of design software: digital capture 102

Chapter 7: Bioprinting in “living ink” 105

The printer of youth 105

Tissue engineering 111

CAD for the body 120

The future 124

Chapter 8: Digital cuisine 129

Digital gastronomy 130

Feeding the quantified self 142

Processed food 144

Chapter 9: A factory in the classroom 153

Make to learn: Children’s engineering 154

Not a national crisis. . . but learning should be enjoyable 161

Now let’s see you draw that abstract equation on a graph 166

Barriers to classroom adoption 171

The road ahead 173

Chapter 10: Unleashing a new aesthetic 175

Computers that act like nature 176

Printing wavy walls and custom gargoyles 191

Chapter 11: Green, clean manufacturing 197

A tale of two plastic toys 200

Greener manufacturing 202

3D printing a more beautiful landfi ll 206

Chapter 12: Ownership, safety, and new legal frontiers 217

Printing weapons, drugs, and shoddy products 218

Rip, mix, and burn physical things 224

Exclusivity vs. the freedom to innovate 230

Chapter 13: Designing the future 241

Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. 241

A bicycle for our imagination 243

The language of shapes 252

Changing the shape of design tools 260

Chapter 14: The next episode of 3D printing 263

The three episodes of 3D printing 265

Cofabrication of multiple materials 266

Moving from printing passive parts to active systems 271

The fi nal episode—from analog to digital 275

Machines making machines 280

References 283

Index 291