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TRANSCRIPT
Running head: WINDOW INTO 3D PRINTING
A Window into the 3D Printed World
Sharon D. Hartsell
Appalachian State University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for English 2001, Section 147, taught by Andy Roller.
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Abstract
3D printing is a revolutionary technology that is rapidly coming into focus as a new
manufacturing method. It has the potential to be more efficient and less wasteful for
manufacturing a wide variety of objects, from shoes to airplane parts, or even buildings. In the
not so distant future, we may see 3D printed food, weapons, or even living tissue. 3D printing is
also contributing to advances in anthropology, forensic science, and medicine.
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A Window into the 3D Printed World
Robert Downey, Jr., truly became Ironman for Ironman 2. Certain scenes in the movie
couldn’t be computer generated, so instead of building an Ironman suit by hand, the filmmakers
turned to 3D printing. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, involves using a 3D printer to put
down layers of materials to make complex shapes based on a digital design model. In “the film’s
scenes that were done in live-action—as opposed to CGI (computer-generated imagery)—its
star, Robert Downey, Jr., can be seen wearing a suit that was first digitally modeled, then
produced in pieces on a sophisticated 3D printer, and then painted” (Terdiman, 2012). In
addition to reducing handwork, this also allows directors to more convincingly mix CGI and
live-action because the 3D printed model is based on the same digital model as the CGI scenes
are using. 3D printing is an up-and-coming technology that could revolutionize manufacturing
by increasing efficiency and reducing waste, or even bringing manufacturing into your living
room. There are many applications for 3D printing, including printing objects, buildings, organs,
food, even weapons, as well as applications in forensic science, medicine, and anthropology.
How It Works
To understand how 3D printing works, imagine replacing the inks in a basic inkjet printer
with plastic, or other materials. Then, the printer can print the material in layers based on a
digital model to create a three-dimensional object (Noorani, 2012, p. 5). 3D printed products
range widely in scale. For example, forgoing traditional production methods, Continuum
Fashion prints lightweight yet sturdy high heels out of layers of nylon (Mok, 2012). Or, on a
larger scale, Italian inventor Enrico Dini “has developed a huge three-dimensional printer called
D-Shape that can print entire buildings out of sand and an inorganic binder” (Dulis, 2011). The
printer can create curved surfaces that are typically very expensive, and the construction time is
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four times faster than traditional building methods. It is also eco-friendly because there is less
waste left behind. There is even the possibility of printing a moon base using lunar dust. This
technology could lead to more efficient and sustainable building methods (Dulis, 2011).
Sustainability and 3D Printing
There are three main environmental benefits to additive manufacturing: less waste, no
need for specialized machines, and files can be transmitted digitally, so parts can be printed
where they are needed. On the other hand, 3D printing is electricity-intensive and slow in
production (Grunbaum, 2012). This hasn’t stopped General Electric (GE) from integrating 3D
printing technology into their manufacturing processes to increase efficiency. Traditionally,
many pieces of metal are welded together to create one fuel injector. With 3D printing, a laser
“traces out the shape of the injector’s cross section on a bed of cobalt-chrome powder, fusing the
powder into solid form to build up the injector one ultrathin layer at a time” (“more efficient
product manufacturing,” 2012, p. 9). A 3D printed fuel injector is less costly to produce and is
expected to be lighter weight. GE is also 3D printing “4-ft long strips bonded onto the leading
edge of fan blades...[which] deflect debris and create more efficient airflow” (“more efficient
product manufacturing,” 2012, p. 9). Previously, forging these strips took hours and about 50
percent of the titanium was lost. GE estimates it will save about $25,000 per engine by switching
to additive manufacturing. Clearly, 3D printing is a more efficient manufacturing method in
terms of reducing waste and costs. Both of these 3D printed parts are expected to be used
commercially by 2013, and start appearing in full-scale production runs by 2016 (“more efficient
product manufacturing,” 2012, p. 9).
Additive manufacturing can also reduce waste by allowing people to make repairs instead
of buying new. In an article from National Public Radio (NPR), an interviewee used 3D design
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software to recreate the exact part he needed to fix the lock on his dryer door, which would have
cost him nearly $40 to buy a replacement part or several hundred dollars for a new dryer. In the
future, you could design and print your own parts to do simple household fixes like this yourself.
And, if you don’t have the software or the know-how to design your own 3D model of the part
you need, many free designs and software are available online. For example, 123D Catch is a
free program that generates a digital 3D model from pictures of the object you want to recreate
(Kalish, 2012). 3D printing has the potential to reduce waste in factories and in homes.
3D Printed Food
Surprisingly, food can be printed as well. You could design a cake digitally and simply
print your design in lines of frosting on the cake. 3D printing technology can 3D print soft
foods, like cookie dough, frosting, or even a burrito. It uses raw ingredients like inks dispensed
through syringe-like nozzles. Imagine printing cookie dough instead of mixing it by hand—you
could make cookies in any shape without a cookie cutter in sight, and you wouldn’t be left with
wasted scraps of dough (Read, 2011).
But printed food doesn’t stop at cookie dough. A Missouri-based startup called Modern
Meadows has received funding to 3D print meat. According to Modern Meadow co-founder
Andras Forgacs, hamburgers are “an environmental train wreck” due to the high resource
intensity required to produce them (Langan, 2012). A recent NPR study found that “it takes 6.7
pounds of grain, 52.8 gallons of water, 74.5 square feet of land, and 1,036 BTUs of fossil fuel
energy for feed production” (Langan, 2012). Modern Meadows’ initial goal is to print an edible
1-inch piece of meat using the same 3D printing technology currently in use to print medical
grade tissue. However, the greatest challenge for printed meat is convincing the consumer that it
is desirable. Printed meat would reduce the number of livestock going to the slaughterhouse and
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the tremendous resource cost associated with raising livestock. Yet, “printed meat” sounds
unsavory, and considering the current backlash against genetically modified food, it will likely
be a long time before printed meat shows up in the grocery store (Langan, 2012).
3D Printed Weapons
There is also a dark side to 3D printing with the developing ability to print weapons.
Defense Distributed is an organization dedicated to creating “a design file for what they call a
Wiki Weapon, a functional, 3D-printed firearm” (Brown, 2012). There are significant hurdles,
like the concern that printing plastic may not be strong enough to make a stable weapon.
Furthermore, there are legal considerations, such as “the Undetectable Firearms Act [which]
says, simply, that you may not manufacture or possess a firearm that cannot be detected by an
airport metal detector” (Brown, 2012). However, Defense Distributed is confident about
producing a 100 percent 3D printed gun and then making this knowledge publicly available.
According to Cody Wilson, chief spokesman, it’s “less about the gun...than about democratizing
manufacturing technology. His intention is that ‘the non-expert user will have the ability to make
a gun with just a click’” (Brown, 2012). What if printing out a gun was as easy as printing a
Word document? Gun control laws would be extremely difficult to enforce, and criminals would
have unprecedented access to weapons (Brown, 2012).
Medical Applications
On the bright side, 3D printing offers some exciting applications for medical technology.
Bioprinting involves 3D printing a new organ using the patient’s own cells as “ink,” significantly
reducing the chances that the organ would be rejected once transplanted. Bioprinting could put
an end to the waiting list for organs. There’s even the potential to bioprint skin for burn victims
(Boykin, 2011). My aunt needs a kidney transplant, so bioprinting is something I really hope to
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see become reality.
The medical field can also benefit from being able to print models of a patient’s bones
from a computer tomography (CT) scan. Using these models, surgeons can rehearse complicated
procedures, reducing the time spent in actual surgery and the risk of complications (Noorani,
2006, p. 270). 3D printing also allows for customized surgical implants and prosthetics.
Currently, surgeons use standard size implants, meaning “a patient is often left on the surgery
table...while the implant is being customized to fit” (Noorani, 2006, p. 271). Instead, a custom
implant could be 3D printed in advance based on CT scans. A 3D printed prosthetic can also be
tailored to fit the patient exactly, accommodating the patient’s specific alignment characteristics
and providing reinforcement for weight-bearing regions of the prosthetic socket. This would
decrease the number of times the prosthetic must be refitted, making it easier on the patient and
reducing the cost (Noorani, 2006, p. 271).
Forensic Science Applications
Forensic scientists in Poland used 3D printing for the first time to determine how a
woman suffered a fatal head injury. An elderly woman was found in her home with multiple
severe head wounds. She was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery for numerous skull
fractures, but she died due to severe brain damage. The forensic scientists’ task was to determine
exactly what caused her injuries. Using a CT scan taken before the patient underwent surgery,
they were able to create a digital 3D model of her skull and the injuries she sustained. The shape
and pattern of the fractures suggested death by blows to the head from a relatively small object.
Then, they printed a physical 3D model to compare with potential weapons. “The only tool
[they] were able to able to reasonably match to the bone injury was a handle of a fire poker, the
shape of which was consistent with the shape of the reconstructed fractures” (Wozniak et al.,
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2012). In this case, printing a 3D model was key to explaining how the injuries occurred. While
CT scans and digital models may suffice in some cases, a physical model is better suited for
explaining the mode of injury to people with no medical training, such as a jury in court
(Wozniak et al., 2012). Being able to model a crime is especially important due to the CSI
effect, which “is short-hand for the enhanced expectations jurors have for forensic evidence —
and corresponding disregard for circumstantial evidence — as a result of watching crime and
punishment shows on television” (French, 2011). The prosecution could present an exact 3D
printed model of the victim’s skull to show jurors clearly how the fire poker could be the
weapon. Having a physical model could make the difference between convicting the wrongdoer
and letting a criminal off simply because the jurors expected more impressive evidence (French,
2011).
3D printing is also a useful tool for identifying remains, particularly when there are no
living relatives. The remains of a soldier killed in World War I, now identified as Private
Thomas Lawless, were discovered “in 2003 at a construction site near Avion, France”
(Thilmany, 2012). Due to a lack of living family members, standard DNA testing for
identification was not possible. So, the research team, led by Andrew Nelson, “an associate dean
of research for faculty of social science at the University of Western Ontario in London,” created
a 3D computer-aided design (CAD) model of Lawless’ skull from scans of large skull fragments
(Thilmany, 2012). Then, they 3D printed a physical model of Lawless’ skull, from which an
artist reconstructed a face out of modeling clay, “guided by muscle markings on the skull model
and tissue-depth tables” (Thilmany, 2012). Finally, the team photographed the reconstructed face
and compared it with photographs of potential matches, looking at face and jaw shape. They
narrowed it down to two potential matches, and used further analysis of the teeth and jawbone to
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determine that the remains were indeed those of Lawless. Facial reconstruction is not limited to
identifying the remains of soldiers; it could also be applied to Egyptian mummies, to recreate a
face or create physical models of the bones without disturbing the wrappings (Thilmany, 2012).
Anthropology Applications
Anthropology can also benefit from 3D printing. It allows anthropologists to study and
run tests on “accurate replicas of delicate bones and artifacts...without causing any damage to the
original finding” (Noorani, 2006, p. 271). The models are created from CT scans with a high
degree of accuracy, making them suitable for both research and display. For example, the
“Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History is currently using [additive
manufacturing] technology to re-create and replace a triceratops skeleton that has been standing
since 1905” (Noorani, 2006, p. 284). Due to the age of the bones and the fact that the skeleton
has been standing for over 100 years, the bones are beginning to weaken and are in danger of
collapsing. The replica will be more complete than the original due to more current information
and “the ability to replicate bones that were initially missing” (Noorani, 2006, p. 284).
3D printing can also help students in the classroom. Cornell University has a collection of
kinematic machines designed by Franz Reuleaux in the late 1800s. Considered the father of
kinematics (the geometry of motion), Reuleaux created “more than 800 models of simple
mechanisms, such as a crank,” to “teach students about kinematics and the history and theory of
machines” (Thilmany, 2012). Until recently, Cornell students could only look at these models on
display, but now they can print out a model of their own. “Rather than just seeing virtual models
or watching movies online, students anywhere with access to the Internet and a 3-D printer will
be able touch and experience these models directly and get a true sense of how they function”
(Thilmany, 2012).
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3D printing has an astounding number of applications in a variety of fields, from food to
weapons to forensic science. And the industry is growing, according to the Wohlers Association
of Fort Collins, Colorado. The 2012 report “found that global industry revenue for 3-D printers,
products, and services grew nearly 30 percent in 2011” (“Is Print Dead?” 2012). 3D printing is
growing rapidly and being used in manufacturing for both prototyping and production. The best
use of 3D printing in production is for expensive and relatively low volume products, like
aerospace parts and dental implants. The growth trend also includes an increased number of
designs for items like jewelry and light fixtures that are printed and sold “‘on demand by
companies like Shapeways and Materialise. It is a relatively small segment of the $1.7 billion 3-
D printing industry, but it is growing very fast’” (“Is Print Dead?” 2012). 3D printing is an
exciting new part of the printing industry, and one that promises strong growth for the future (“Is
Print Dead?” 2012).
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References
3-D printing for more efficient product manufacturing. (2012). Advanced Materials & Processes,
170(2), 9.
Advanced Materials & Processes is published by ASM International, a “society dedicated
to serving the materials science and engineering profession” according to its About page
online. The organization is the authority on new developments in materials and
manufacturing processes, so this information seems credible.
Boykin, S. (2011, November 28). Growing organs, cell at a time. Charlotte Observer. Retrieved
September 23, 2012, from
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/11/28/2809541/growing-organs-cell-at-a-
time.html#storylink=misearch
The Charlotte Observer is a reliable newspaper, and this article includes an interview
with the director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The article also
opens with a case study about a bladder grown in a lab and transplanted, showing that
functional organs can already be made in the lab. This makes the possibility of
bioprinting in the future more believable.
Brown, R. (2012, September 6). You don't bring a 3D printer to a gun fight -- yet. In CNET.
Retrieved September 28, 2012, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57499326-
1/you-dont-bring-a-3d-printer-to-a-gun-fight-yet/
CNET is a website dedicated to showing “you the exciting possibilities of how
technology can enhance and enrich your life,” according to its mission statement. The
information about new technology seems dependable, but the site is definitely pro-
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technology. Therefore, the articles may overemphasize the benefits of new technology
while downplaying possible side effects.
Dulis, P. (2011, February 7). The world of 3D printing expands to build a house. Graphic Arts.
Retrieved September 23, 2012, from http://graphicartsmag.com/articles/2011/02/the-
world-of-3d-printing-expands-to-build-a-house
Graphic Arts is an industry magazine, so the article is written from the perspective of
business owners looking to incorporate new technology into their businesses. This article
has a section entitled “Market Opportunities” to point out the many industries in which
3D printing is already in use, presumably to encourage business owners to invest in the
new technology.
French, David. "Casey Anthony and the "CSI Effect"." National Review Online. N.p., 5 July
2011. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271128/casey-
anthony-and-csi-effect-david-french#>.
National Review is a conservative magazine. It clearly favors Republican viewpoints;
after the election, the main article was not about Obama’s victory speech, but an analysis
of why Romney lost. However, for this article about the “CSI Effect,” the conservative
bias does not seem to matter. It provides a short explanation of the CSI Effect as applied
to the Casey Anthony trial.
Grunbaum, M. (2012, April 9). A Sustainability Scorecard for 3D Printing. In ecomagination.
Retrieved September 23, 2012, from http://www.ecomagination.com/sustainability-
scorecard-3d-printing
Ecomagination is a site from GE promoting sustainable developments in technology. It
is likely biased toward GE products, but this article seemed to have a balanced review of
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3D printing’s environmental impact.
Is Print Dead? Not in 3-D. (2012). Mechanical Engineering, 134(9), 12.
Mechanical Engineering is a magazine published by the American Society for
Mechanical Engineers, a not-for-profit organization that aims to provide information
about new trends and technology for the benefit of engineers. This is a credible source,
and the information is still current.
Kalish, J. (2012, July 7). New Projects Help 3-D Printing Materialize. In NPR. Retrieved
September 18, 2012, from http://www.npr.org/2012/07/07/156416954/new-projects-help-
3-d-printing-materialize
NPR is a well-known and credible organization. This particular broadcast interviewed
people who had direct experience using 3D printing. One person designed his own 3D
printed part to solve a simple household problem, and another interviewee works for a
company that makes 3D printing software.
Langan, L. (2012). Today's special: 3-D printed meat. Electronic Engineering Times (01921541),
(1627), 43-44.
Electronic Engineering Times is a website focused on showcasing new kinds of
engineering technologies. This article also cites an NPR study and an interview with the
founder of Modern Meadows, so the information seems reliable.
Mok, K. (2012, August 21). Cutting Edge Cinderella Shoes Are 3D Printed out of Nylon. In
TreeHugger. Retrieved September 28, 2012, from
http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/3d-printed-strvct-shoes-
continuum-fashion.html
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Treehugger, published by Discovery, is a reputable site. It leans toward eco-friendly and
sustainable products while showcasing articles about new technologies. This article
includes quotes from the designers of the shoes, increasing its credibility.
Noorani, R. (2006). Rapid Prototyping: Principles and Applications. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley
and Sons, Inc.
Author Rafiq Noorani, Ph.D., is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Loyola
Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. His work has been published in
multiple journals, and he belongs to numerous professional engineering organizations.
Clearly, this is a credible source. This book is also designed to be a textbook for a class
on 3D printing, so it has thorough explanations of how additive manufacturing works.
Read, K. (2011, September 15). Fresh cookies, hot off the… press! Graphic Arts. Retrieved
September 23, 2012, from http://graphicartsmag.com/news/2011/09/fresh-cookies-hot-
off-the-press
Graphic Arts is an industry magazine that focuses on new developments in printing
technology, especially technical developments. Read is a regular writer for Graphic Arts,
and this information is still current since it was published just over a year ago.
Terdiman, D. (2012, April 14). Why Hollywood Loves 3D Printing. In CNET News. Retrieved
October 30, 2012, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57413967-235/why-
hollywood-loves-3d-printing/
Daniel Terdiman is a senior writer for CNET, a website dedicated to promoting
technological advances. This article includes interviews with people from Hollywood
effects studios explaining how 3D printing is improving the prototyping process. The
site’s bias that all technology is beneficial is evident because the article fails to mention
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that some artists may be out of a job if prototypes can be 3D printed instead of sculpted
and painted by hand.
Thilmany, J. (2012). History in 3-D. Mechanical Engineering, 134(4), 44-46.
Mechanical Engineering is a magazine published by the American Society for
Mechanical Engineers. This organization aims to support engineers by providing
information on new developments in the field. This recent article explores several
applications for 3D printing in anthropology.
Woźniak, K., Rzepecka-Woźniak, E., Moskała, A., Pohl, J., Latacz, K., & Dybala, B. (2012,
October 10). Weapon identification using antemortem computed tomography with virtual
3D and rapid prototype modeling—A report in a case of blunt force head injury. Forensic
Science International, 222, 29-32. Retrieved October 21, 2012, from http://0-
www.sciencedirect.com.wncln.wncln.org/science/article/pii/S0379073812002976
Forensic Science International is a journal that publishes research papers on various
topics in forensic science. It is a technical journal, so this case study was challenging to
read due. However, after sifting through the unfamiliar terminology, this case study
proved to be an interesting example of another application for 3D printing.
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