TEKTONIKA
3D printing crosses the threshold from innovation to application
Technology is a shifting landscape . To truly innovate , you need to know the terrain . Enter , Tektonika : HP ’ s new B2B content hub led by Shuchi Sarkar , Americas head of marketing for the HP printing business . Whether you ’ re looking for a fresh take on the hottest tech or searching for ways to lock down your IT environment from hackers , Tektonika is sure to provide a sharp perspective — with a smirk .
3D printing has pioneered some thrilling breakthroughs , giving rise to some incredible innovations . 3D printers now generate parts and products more rapidly and with greater accuracy — as a result , the applications of 3D printing are proliferating .
Innovative printing shifts to turbo gear
3D printing has taken a major leap forward in terms of speed and control . With new 3D-printing techniques , 3D printers can render creations into physical form at the voxel — or 3D-pixel — level by simultaneously printing multiple points , applying more than 30 million drops per second across each inch of working area in the process . 3D printing has kicked into turbo gear , enabling faster prototyping and usability testing — the new generation of 3D printers can produce parts up to 10 times faster than their progenitors at half the cost .
Along with this advancement comes greater control . A 3D printer can customize each individual voxel , so there ’ s an almost limitless range of designs that can be created . To spark the creative process involved with design , new 3D-printing software provides a more intuitive and powerful user experience while streamlining the production workflow .
BIO-PRINT
3D printing speeds toward unreal durability
With granular control , manufacturers can print more durable parts . HP demonstrated the incredible strength of 3D-printed parts when they printed a chain link in less than 30 minutes and used it to hoist a car into the air . Rated to lift up to 10,000 pounds , this simple chain link was created by dispensing millions of drops of a chemical agent each second onto a powdery layer of thin material .
With greater mastery over how 3D creations are designed and printed , products incorporating certain materials can be embedded with electronic sensors . Nearly any 3D-printed item could be augmented with tiny sensors that report its current load and stress levels — making it more intelligent and enabling it to share critical information with the manufacturer .
Businesses could leverage these insights to guard their intellectual property , ensure product safety , or build in a feedback mechanism for continuous quality improvement . With this , 3D printing could create a new , sophisticated generation of connected devices .
The potential of 3D printing slams into overdrive
The applications of 3D printing go far beyond parts manufacturing , reaching into sectors like health care . Some use cases under active development venture into the domain of science fiction .
According to Mic , scientists at the University of Minnesota 3D printed sheets of bionic skin that can sense touch . This flexible material , which can stretch as far as three times its normal size , may one day be used on humans — perhaps burn victims or diabetes patients suffering from severe skin ulceration . 3D-printed skin incorporating sensors could also be applied to androids , as depicted by Lieutenant Commander Data in Star Trek : The Next Generation .
Meanwhile , scientists in Madrid are working on a prototype of 3D-printed skin that incorporates a patient ’ s own cells , meaning their body wouldn ’ t reject it when used for grafts or transplants . This technology could apply to a range of commercial uses , including chemical testing , and even potentially end animal testing in the cosmetics industry .
We ’ ve crossed the threshold into an innovative era of 3D printing . With powerful technological advancements , 3D printers can now design and create powerful , durable , and intelligent products . While we ’ re just beginning to understand the applications and their implications , one thing is clear : This technology holds great promise and could greatly enhance the way we work and live . •
For more stories featuring 3D printing , cutting-edge technologies , and innovative IT trends , head over to www . tektonikamag . com , the industry ’ s go-to hub for everything B2B-tech — powered by HP .
Issue 7 · Summer 2017 · Innovation Journal 29