Discussion and Response: 3D Printing Technology
3D printing is one type of additive manufacturing techniques which can also be termed as digital fabrication technology as because it uses computer software to produce custom designs with exclusive boundaries. The main purpose of this technology is to make the production of physical objects that geometrically not strong enough and are made by additive materials. This made production extremely easy to manufacture many open-source designs in almost every sector of the economy that includes healthcare, education, defense, auto and locomotive industries etc. (Shahrubudin, Lee & Ramlan, 2019).
The functionality its possess while production is a layer-by-layer deposition of additive material directly deposited from the CAD design software. There exist many types of 3D printing techniques that are available as per customizations. There are many notable advantages offered by 3D printing. That includes manufacturing in short time frames as the complete production can happen in minutes to hours based on the complexity. Secondly, it offers low waste production rate compared to other traditional techniques in which the final product can be achieved by undergoing cutting and drilling procedures. The transportation of the design can be done over cloud which helps in accessing designs based on customer location. It required low level of human interaction as the designs are completely computer controlled (Pîrjan & Petroşanu, 2013).
There are most hazardous disadvantages and limitations that are offered by 3D printing technology. They include printing of guns, weapons and aircraft defense mechanical components that can be printed effectively with low cost and can be used to increase destruction. Children can be affected with the knowledge of such technology as they can have the access to create volatile components that could hurt themselves and others (Pîrjan & Petroşanu, 2013). The human labor need can low down effectively as there is no human interaction required. The quality of the product can also be diminished by employing such techniques. These limitations can be reduced by installing protocols while accepting designs that are correlative to weapons etc. to minimize the destruction occurrence. The awareness on the usage of technology should be improved while licensing the software. For improved quality, the use of more strong materials like high-grade ceramics or polymers, etc. By employing such standards, the limitations can be minimized predominantly.
Reference
Pîrjan, A., & Petroşanu, D. M. (2013). The impact of 3D printing technology on the society and economy. Journal of Information Systems and Operations Management, 7(2), 360-370.
Shahrubudin, N., Lee, T. C., & Ramlan, R. (2019). An overview on 3D printing technology: Technological, materials, and applications. Procedia Manufacturing, 35, 1286-1296.