To conclude with 3D printing in retail- Below are the reasons why 3D printing should be applied to business executive agenda’s. The awareness of 3D printing and its advancement in prototyping, in tools, fixtures as well as finished products are already rapidly growing in industries.
References
Apcar, C. (2018). Drawing in space: the 3D printing pen | Apollo Magazine. [online] Apollo Magazine. Available at: https://www.apollo-magazine.com/drawing-space-3d-printing-pen/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018]. LIX PEN - Europe. (2018). Lix Pen UV. [online] Available at: https://eu.lixpen.com/pages/lix-pen-uv [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
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This post is for the creatives out there, specially architects who want to create 3D models of their ideas. As well as the massive 3D printers, there’s a small circular 3D pen that’s known to be the world’s smallest 3D printing pen.This pen known as LIX , this pen will enable you to write, make sculptures and draw in mid-air. LIX which is 12mm in diameter works equivalently to A 3D printer. How does it work? Through a power source with a thin cable at the top just like a usb port. Plastic filaments are used in the aluminium pen, it melts and cools at 200°C. It usually takes 60 seconds to heat up a freestanding structure. Items such as homeware, jewelleries, sketches or prototypes are possible with a LIX 3D pen. This pen is compatible with ABS and PLA filaments, these are thermoplastics that are used 3D printing. This pen is definitely an advancement in terms of artistic possibilities and could drive more individuals to further their creative side. Have you ever had the experience of tossing your broken furniture in the bin and ending up buying a new one? Unless your Dad is handy man of course. Nevertheless, it’s a constant occurrence where too many household gadgets are thrown away since replacement parts are quite hard to find. Mr Lalande, a researcher from Montreal states that "if there were 3D printing in hardware stores and parts carried code numbers allowing a store employee to download the design for a part, people could get replacement parts at local stores much as they get keys copied today." (Beekman, 2014 p.123) This process will allow the community to recycle most of our belongings and re-using them instead of throwing them away promoting a greener environment and it is also cost efficient. Why 3D printing? 3D printing furniture designs help with co-creating with consumers since everyone has different taste and can be tailored according to the consumers liking. Unlike the traditional way of furniture making its less waste, faster production time and cheaper distribution. We all have heard of Ikea, it is a well-established Swedish furniture company that has a wide range of inexpensive products yet with very stylish and modern designs. Their ethos is ‘’daring to be different’’ and it continuous to define their brand as they’re the first furniture company to incorporate 3D printing into their collections of products. Composed of decorative objects, they released a 3D printed collection ‘’OMEDELBAR’’ which serves as a coat hanger or jewellery holder. (3D Natives, 2017) They will probably integrate it more in the process of their production in the long run keeping their brand fresh and up to date with todays technology. References Beekman, G. (2014). Digital planet. Pearson. Online Article, 3D Natives (2017) ‘’ https://www.3dnatives.com/en/ikea-3d-printed-omedelbar180720174/ ‘’ One of the most interesting new areas of 3D printing is printed food. Who isn’t obsessed with food? Well, not everyone but as a continuously growing world population we all need food as one of the basic necessity of life. 3D printed food would have a number of benefits that could help a lot of different people may it be fussy children who like their food a certain way; shape, size, colour etc. Or even the elderly who have problems with chewing and swallowing problems or this could also be something revolutionary for the food industry. Imagine having this 3D printer for food in your kitchen where you’re able to print and cook your favourite meal by just a touch on the screen. According to 3D food printing company Natural Machines it isn’t too far from becoming a reality ( Online article, Techrepublic ) ‘Foodini’ is one of the first that has promised 3D food printing for every kitchen. This device allows you to print your own, healthier version of ‘’processed’’ food. A few restaurants have adapted to this such as ‘La Boscana, Spain’. Even NASA is proposing an idea in making pizza ingredients in powdered for, recreating the texture using a 3D food printer. As well as savory foods, 3D printed customised sweets and chocolates are booming in the food industry, mostly targeted towards the younger generation. An example would be the 3D on-demand candy by Pixsweet, customisable 3D ice pops which are natural, vegan and gluten free. It will take time for technology to evolve in order to become mass market but I believe that 3D food printers would be as common as kitchen appliances such as ovens and stoves. With Dublin’s current weather conditions snowed inside the house with rumbling stomachs and low energy I sure would want one of those in my kitchen. References Online Article Techrepublic ‘’ https://www.techrepublic.com/article/heres-how-3d-food-printers-are-changing-the-way-we-cook/ ‘’ Website 3Dprinting ‘’ https://3dprinting.com/food/rapid-prototyping-food-industry/ ‘’ |
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