3D Printing

An immersive education summit is an event that takes place every year and is basically a conference, with many speakers where they discuss the impact that certain kinds of technology are having, and how they can be expanded. Topics covered feature all state of the art technologies such as wearable computers and 3D printing.

Here are two highlight screenshots which show in more detail what this conference is, and more specifically who and what universities are involved, because I could not remember them all. Some of my favorite topics discussed are Google Glass, 3D printing, personal robotics, and virtual currencies. The topic of this post will be 3D Printing, which is something not many people even know exists!

3D Printing, to me is one of the most amazing things ever created, which I also did not know about until recently. It is so complex that it is not easy to explain, I think this picture will help; as we can see, there is an Eiffel Tower displayed on the computer screen, and just as you would normally click "print" to print out a photograph of this, a 3D printer literally creates what is on the screen in front of you, which we can see by the little Eiffel Tower sitting next to the 3D printer.

So what is this machine actually doing to accomplish such a feat? It begins by making a 3D digital version of what you want to print, using a program that creates a 3D image of the task by breaking it down into horizontal layers (hundreds of thousands of them), then when you click "print" each layer is printed one at a time. There are so many layers that it is impossible to see them, and the object comes to life.

Originally, a machine like this cost well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, but with increases in technology, prices on these machines is said to drop below $20,000. Still very expensive, but a big change from above $100,000. Smaller units are also going to be readily available (with less capability) for household use, and prices are said to be in the $400 range. More information about this can be learned in the video below!

One of the more serious uses of 3D printing is the ability to "print" functioning machinery, such as guns. Technology like this could help lower military costs, which would in turn lower taxes. I will also embed a video below this of someone shooting a 3D printed gun.








3D Printing could easily be the future of mass production, if things like this continue to go well and can be expanded. Theoretically, in the future things such as cars, phones, and clearly guns can all be "printed" for a cheaper cost than importing them. Learn more at  http://summit.ImmersiveEducation.org​

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