The Evolution of 3D Printing

3D printing has made leaps and bounds in recent years; even months, making it an exciting

prospect for Tony Freeman and other entrepreneurs interested in technology.

Almost 30 years ago, long before plastic toys; machine parts, jewellery - even artificial

organs - were being created by 3D printers using ultraviolet light and plastic, Charles Hull

invented stereolithography. He became the first 3D printing technician by printing a plastic

cup.

The process of 3D printing involves curing and bonding liquid photopolymers with UV light

and then building 3D structures, layer up layer, as the plastic starts to harden. Many of

today's industrial 3D printers rely on stereolithography, but 3D printers are no longer the

remit of multi-million dollar factories.

Over the past 20 years, 3D printers have become more affordable; smaller, and more

manageable. Today, 3D printers are found in small businesses and laboratories; even 21st

Century homes.

Hull founded 3D Systems in 1986, in Valencia, California. Today he is Chief Technology

Officer and the company's Executive Vice President. His first 3D printer hit the market in

1988. It sold for $100,000 and became popular amongst medical equipment manufacturers

and aero industry companies as well as carmakers including Mercedes Benz and General

Motors.

Although 3D Systems' products were originally only used by major manufacturers, other

companies came onto the market, producing more affordable, desktop 3D printer models.

Stratasys, based in Rehovot, Israel, created a process called fused deposition modelling, a

process by which plastic is heated to melting point, then deposited layer by layer through a

heated nozzle. This process is used by several desktop 3D printer manufacturers today,

including the world famous MakerBot.

3D printing is only just starting to make an impact, and it's already changing lives. Enabling

The Future is a global network of 3D printing specialists. The volunteer organisation

specialises in creating artificial hands and forearms for adults and children who have lost

limbs from the elbow down. The devices are colourful, fun and practical, providing basic

functional grasp. The organisation is comprised of almost 5,000 volunteers worldwide, made

up of 3D print enthusiasts, engineers, designers, artists and professors as well as regular

volunteers who want to make a difference to the lives of those missing a hand due to natural

disaster, disease or war.

Exo is a company which manufactures low cost 3D printed legs by a process of scanning,

modelling and 3D printing to produce a customisable, titanium exoskeleton which reproduces

the precise form of the amputated limb. Created by William Root, the Exo-Prosthetic leg

utilises a combination of 3D scanning, printing and modelling software to created a

customised, affordable and aesthetically pleasing product, anatomically matching the

recipient's dimensions to within a fraction of a millimetre.