3-D Printing: Cultural Context and Media Influences - Research Paper Example

3-D PRINTING: CULTURAL CONTEXT AND MEDIA INFLUENCES Introduction 3-D printing is the process where objects are made into three dimensions from a digital platform (Hoskins, 2013). In other words it is an additive process where successive layers are arranged under a central processing unit control. 3D printing is derived from a 3D model and is done on a special printer that is the 3D printer. Materials used are like plastics which are put down in layers of different shapes on the CPU. This is unlike the traditional 3D printing where materials were removed to create the wanted shape. The most used techniques in 3D printing are extrusion and sintering. This paper is going to aptly survey the impact of 3-D printing in its cultural context and media influence. History of 3D printing 3D printing ideas came up in the late 1980s but were called prototyping technologies (Hoskins, 2013). Fast forward to early 1900s 3D printing was developed at MIT. In 1987 the first commercial 3D printers released. The advancement of 3D printing continued during the years that led up to the early 2000s. By 2005 western companies had evolved the 3D printing where the additive manufacturing was born. The process was now good enough to use but was still very expensive but its features were more defined. The high cost was geared towards high value production in engineering and complex industries like automotive, aerospace and medicine sectors. Cultural context Culture has played a big role in 3D printing. With 3D printing being accepted in the museums nowadays it had brought the best in artists (Sherman & Perlman, 2015). This is because art meets science and together 3D printing has forever changed the perspective of artists worldwide. This form of printing is now used everywhere to depict an object in its entirety instead of the flat figures that were used previously. Before, pictures only had one dimension where the front part of an object could be viewed on the television. The engineering community and the art community have been greatly influenced by 3D printing. Things have taken a new dimension with the introduction of 3D printing. Makers Culture 3D printings influence in the art community No part of the world has not been swarmed with 3D printing and for this reason the growing influence of 3D printing has not spared art. Art here means dance, painting and music. There are many ways in which 3D printing has influenced art. The first way is in the creation of masterpieces. A good example is in Rob and Nick Carters replica of Vincent van Gogh’s sunflowers. This has been a trend in the art and science alliance today as other artists have also sought to replicate classic figures previously done in 2D and the likes (Sherman & Perlman, 2015). The second way that 3D had influenced art is in the printed musical instruments. These musical instruments have been produced in 3D and are wearable. This trend was brought to life by Joseph Malloch and Ian Hattwick who researched this trend at McGill university researchers. These 3D instruments were to transform movement and touch in music (Sherman & Perlman, 2015). The third way that 3D printing has influenced art is in the ability in sculpting objects of all sizes. 3D printing has allowed artists to be able to create even un-imaginable 3D objects like a car. An artist from Romania Ioan Florea has created huge 3D car and a wagon. He uses plastics to shape these big sculptures a thing that was not possible in the past before the development of 3D. The fourth way that art has been influenced by 3D is the making of abstract things into 3D objects. An example is Gilles Azaro’s sculpture of Obama’s state union address (Sherman & Perlman, 2015). The speech is artistically sprawled in 3D. The aesthetical nature of this speech is amazing and something that is surreal and somewhat intimidating. The most appalling thing is that observers can listen to the speech as they witness the sound waves lasers closely follow the highs and downs of the speech intonations. The overall object looks like a huge sonically black mass of sharp and high thin mountains. The fifth influence of 3D in art is the use of food art. Food lovers can now create all designs using what they love that is food. This goes to show that with 3D artists do not have to use metals and plastics alone but anything that can be layered. Sculptures have been made out of sugar and salt. The final influence of art by 3D is in the medical field. Artist Joshua Harker has made a 3D skull made from CT scans. This has made it easy to learn the human anatomy through this kind of art as all the features can be seen. For example Joshua’s CT scans of skulls can be made to be normal skulls with all components of a brain for learning. 3D printings influence in engineering Engineering has not been left out in the 3D world as there are various 3D influences in engineering. The first influence of 3D in art is the ability to create tangible house decorations on walls. This 3D engineering is brought to life by two architects, Michael Hansmeyer and Benjamin Dilllenburg. These two artists have created a wall of art which is not only beautiful but tangible. They have named their masterpiece the digital grotesque which is done inside a church. It runs in a sixteen square meter of wall inside the church. This has never been done before and is truly amazing. Secondly, engineering has been influenced by 3D printing in that in the automotive industry company’s custom make the car’s engineering bit. Customer specification and preferences is being done by 3D objects and made into a reality and in a faster way unlike earlier when cars would be made s per the company’s specifications. This 3D engineering has also made it possible for engineers to make environmentally friendly cars. Furthermore, 3d has enabled car companies to produce sturdy material that will be sued as car parts. Finally, engineering has been influenced by 3D as evidenced by the aerospace industry. This aerospace companies have built prototypes and at a very high pace than before. In fact many people are heavily investing in this new technology as it is faster and more productive. This has seen the launch of many pilot projects that project the need for the technology. Moreover, aerospace companies have been enabled by 3D technology to produce materials for the planes. The technology allows production of lighter aero parts and also aero planes which are fuel efficient. Historic Culture Restoration of historical items and artifacts 3D had not only been used to produce beautiful and anesthetically visible objects but also to restore history. Some of the historical aspects have been lost due to time and the normal tear and wear. However, with 3D some history are being reproduced, restored and preserved. 3D has been used to restore historical items and more so artifacts. As matter of fact museums are now scrambling to get a hold of this technology (Lipson & Kurman, 2012). The use of 3d in restoring historical artifacts is to enable the contemporary world to have a glimpse of the past suppose the original artifacts have been destroyed in wars, natural calamities or just the environment. Furthermore, this technology is fast in the restoration process as compared to manually crafting these artifacts. The specific countries will also enjoy cultural tourism as rare sites and artifacts can be recaptured in perfection. Adam Lowes replica of king Tut’s tomb was an attempt at restoring an ancient artifact (Lipson & Kurman, 2012). In 2009 this British artist managed to fix every microbes in king Tut’s body, every opening that had occurred and every paint that had peeled off to make a new yet original king Tut’s tomb. Thereby allowing historians to make new discoveries and for purposes of preservation. The painting is done in a beautiful 3D in five years time. This restoration served its purpose since king Tut’s tomb location was known for vibrations, human traffic and moisture. All this are a recipe for disaster as combined they can wipe away the artifact. Other artifacts restored by 3D printing are the Buddha of china, the 1903 wright’s brother’s flier and an extinct species of dolphin. All these are in the Smithsonian institute2. Semitic museum 3 in Harvard has preserved the ruins of the Nuzi civilization and over three thousand year old lion. In addition, university of Leicester has 3D of King Richard iii4. His skull has been replicated in 3D (Lipson & Kurman, 2012). Media Influence How 3D printing is being used in the fashion industry As with other things media has been influenced by 3d printing. The fashion industry has not been left out. First are Xuedi Chen and Pedro Oliveira and their 3D wearable data driven cloth (Lipson & Kurman, 2012). This cloth is linked with the wearer’s phone and therefore whatever comes from the wearer is seen on the phone and vice versa. The wearer of the data driven cloth is fully covered but when he/she gives out personal data the skin is exposed. Therefore, the more the wearer gives out their information to the internet the more their skin is shown and when he/she stops or reverse their actions the skin is covered. This is with the notion that people always put themselves naked when in the internet and is meant to hinder this vulnerability. Another influence of 3D to the fashion world is the LED high heels shoes for ladies. The founder Tanya Hearth has made it possible for women to have adjustable heels. The wearer only has to click at a button and the heels reduce from four inch to two inch or depending on the comfort ability. This goes with LED dresses which are shiny, flashy and fit to perfection. The 3D technology world has made it easy for even people who are not designers to be creative enough. This is possible in that any person can create a virtual picture of a design of a cloth he/she wants and in the correct body size and mail it to a clothes Company. They then make it a reality and deliver it at home which is easier than a client coming in for measurement and fitting. Moreover, it is faster than having a designer sketch many pieces than make it a reality. Another fashion trend made possible by the 3D technology is the goggle glass which relays information straight to the eyes without using hands. This is because it uses sound commands and delivers the information to your eyes. It is like wearing a computer but better as the glasses is sleek and come in variety of colors. Shapeway has really made it easy for these techs upload and anything can be printed from jewelries to shoes to clothes to accessories. Furthermore, 3d technology has made technology easy than it sounds because interaction with science is easy. For example Microsoft has produced a printing dress which allows the wearer to text their thoughts on to the cloth they are wearing without talking. This is like magic as the wearer just thinks what he/she wants and it is printed in the dress. This industry is growing bigger by the day since it is projected to run in to billions by 2016. 3D printing in the News 3D has also caught up on the news as newsrooms rely on this technology to recreate events when they cannot have the real pictures. This technology has also allowed journalist to avoid danger by just using this technology to create a movie instead of going deep into dangerous scenes and sites. In fact of late media house use this to broadcast their news, channels and programs especially fashion news. The models are shown at three sixty degrees to give the viewers a better view of the clothes and accessories. Studies and what they conclude on the benefits and flaws of 3D printing Majority of studies conducted on 3D technology are in support of this technique. However, even though 3d looks like a miracle and the best thing ever it has its bad sides. Advantages Job creation With the rising trend in 3D technology more technicians and scientist will be recruited to manage the 3D printers. Shipping companies will hire more people to do deliveries as the demand will be immense (Evans, 2012). Production speed Manufacturing a prototype using this technology is easier and faster than ever. Therefore, a large number of products will be manufactured and delivered. Medical, engineering and fashion breakthroughs 3D has brought a different perspective in the world today in the three most important industries in the world (Evans, 2012). In medicine body parts and organs can now be created using 3D. This is also in the fashion industry where clothes are produced with technological advancements. In the engineering department cars and aerospace economic cars and planes with lighter parts are being produced. Custom made car parts and airplanes parts which are environmentally friendly are produced. Disadvantages Questionable accuracy Most of 3D printing is done as a prototype which means that they are still in the initial stages of manufacturing much like test products. However, modern 3D printers have a high accuracy level but its products still have accuracy disclaimer. They come with a minus one or plus one room for error. Reduction in manufacturing jobs Since it is easier to create and produce anything through 3D manufacturers would not be needed anymore and many people will lose their jobs. Designers will not be needed since everybody’s creativity is brought out by custom designing of clothes. Threat to security People tend to misuse even good things. This is because people will start printing dangerous things like guns, knives and bombs (Hood-Daniel, & Kelly, 2011). This can be dangerous to the environment. Copyright infringement Since it is easy to print anything using 3D printer there will be copyright infringement on copyrighted material and they would go unnoticed. Counterfeit materials will arise from this setting and a lot of underground criminal buying and selling will be on the rise (Hood-Daniel, & Kelly, 2011). Videos on social media showing 3D printings rapidly growing recognition There are a lot of videos on the social media that shows how popular 3d is growing. Videos have been made to show the best and latest uses and advantages of 3D printing. The links of some examples on YouTube are as follows. www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0EJmBoLq-g www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aghzpO_UZE www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1jw7DX5B2A www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx0Z6LplaMU www.youtube.com/watch?v=94qoGn0hkEg www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTh0rzCXefQ www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrOt4R-kR2g www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0rYO5YI7kA www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEzj4BqRBJs Other Areas Where 3d Has Impacted In the Society Medicine 3d printing has played a big role in medicine and has brought about a huge revolution in the medical world. The area where 3D printing has significantly revolutionized the medicine field is medical implants. Medical implants and body parts revolutionized by 3D include pacemaker, joint replacements, prosthetic body parts and artificial bone (Wijk, Wijk, & IOS Press., 2015). This breakthrough in medicine has acted as a life saver to millions of people who would otherwise be dead or be living with a lot of difficulties and pain. Moreover, 3D implants have high quality which means that patients get the best body part replacements. To prepare a body part or a replacement metal and silicone are mixed together then melted and put on props that help set the shape of the body part. For body parts like bones titanium metal is used together with silicone. Titanium highly supports the skeletal fracture than any other material. Furthermore, scientists want to further research on material that can be used that will closely resemble a patient’s own body cells (Wijk, Wijk, & IOS Press., 2015). This is in the use of organic materials which will be able to generate and at like the normal body parts. The best part about using 3D printing is that shapes made from the props are precise and sometimes customized thus they always fit perfectly, for example dental implants, orthopedic implants, blood vessels and pacemakers (Wijk, Wijk, & IOS Press., 2015). Moreover, with the organic material breakthrough implants and body parts can be made to be the same as the patient’s own body polymers. And the most significant use of 3D printing is that part replacement can be made faster and save lives than before. Cinemas Cinemas have not been left behind in the search for advancement brought about by 3D printing. As a matter of fact 3D printing has become the norm in modern day film viewing (Dsouza, 2012). The astounding fact is that films that use help from 3D printing have been grossing a lot of money upon their releases. This is because 3D printing in films helps create unimaginable pictures a thing never witnessed before. Several box office hits like star wars, avatar, transformers, guardians of the galaxy, dawn of the planet of apes, maleficent and others have grossed more than their producers anticipated and they each got a boost from 3D printing. A French artist julien maire has used 3D printing in a very unique way to create a film. In his film he uses what is called iMAL, interactive media art laboratory. He did this in an exhibition in Brussels. The file is called ‘relief’ and uses figurines printed using the 3D printing technique. These 85 figurines when set on light from a projector depict a man digging a whole .the setting looks like the traditional film set ups but with a modern twist making it an artistic film. Many types of 3D printers were used by this French man to produce this film. Accessories and Toys 3d has made it possible to be walking around in miniature gardens and such stuff in jewelries. This was not a thing of the past but an artist colleen Jordan has been using 3D to develop little gardens and egg hued vases for Easter. This artist has made wearable vases which carry miniature garden and flowers that people either wear as necklaces or pendants. They are also made to be decorations if not being worn thus have flat bottom that can stand on their own. Plants are painted with varnish and made by nylon to prevent wetness and withering and are then dyed. On the other hand, 3D has influenced the toy and children’s world. Toys have been revolutionized by this technique and games are more interactive and advanced (Neupert, 2011). A game like mine craft enables players to create 3D designs in the games by themselves. Children do this by printing designs using software named print craft and make whatever 3D designs they want. The Lego Company has made tremendous profits and given its competitors a huge leap since its inception of 3D printing in their Lego games. Lego achieved this success by using fan preference and use of technology which its competitors have refused to embrace. Lego, using 3D printing has now moved on to produce video games for smart phones as Smartphone’s are the in thing in the contemporary world. Moreover, Lego has developed a digital world where its users can leave their opinions and ideas which they then integrate in their next games. The best idea so far is that Lego is now in the process of giving its users the opportunity to print their own games using their 3D printers. Conclusion 3D is the process where objects are made into three dimensions from a digital platform. It is being used in nearly all the industries in the world. It a profitable technology which allows for creativity of people and high production rate for companies. 3D is used in the fashion industry, engineering industry, preservation and restoration of historical artifacts. The news and media industry is also catching up on the technology. 3D printing technology is advantageous in that it provides jobs, breakthroughs in the medical, automotive and aerospace industries. However, with the good side of this technology comes with bad side too. There is a chance of error with this technology together with a threat of security since people will create dangerous weapons. This technology will also reduce manufacturing jobs and a lot of counterfeit materials will be in supply. However, all in all since the business is projected to rise and develop in a billion dollar company by the year 2016 this technology is here to stay. References Dsouza, C. (2012). Think in 3D: Food for thought for directors, cinematographers and stereographers. Scotts Valley, Calif: CreateSpace. The author is directing his thoughts to directors of films and film makers and additionally to would be directors and film makers that is film graduates. The author urges them to start thinking of 3D printing in the making of their films and that they should take it seriously. Evans, B. (2012). Practical 3D printers. New York: Apress. The book discusses the various types of 3d printers that are available in the market. Furthermore, the book discusses their similarities, differences and the better versions. In addition the book gives out the steps to creating a 3D printing model. Hood-Daniel, P., & Kelly, J. F. (2011). Printing in plastic: Build your own 3D printer. New York, N.Y.: Apress. The author of this book discusses the 3d printing machine that can create objects from plastic. Moreover, the author gives examples of things to get one started on the journey of 3D printing. Hoskins, S. (2013). 3D printing for artists, designers and makers. The book discusses how manufacturing industries are utilizing the new technology of 3D printing to manufacture their products. In addition, the author discusses the changes that this new technology has done to change the perspectives artists. Lipson, H., & Kurman, M. (2012). Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. The book discusses the definition of 3D printing technology, its uses and its capabilities. The book opens up the world of 3d printing. In addition, it provides practical scenarios in the application of 3D printing technologies. Sherman, G. J., & Perlman, S. (2015). The real world guide to fashion selling and management. This book gives examples of successes of the fashion world using the new technology. Furthermore, the author defines the characteristics of successful sales people in the fashion world. Neupert, R. J. (2011). French animation history. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. This book talks about the history of French animation and the modernity catching up with the industry of games. It explains how 3D printing has impacted in this sector in France from the beginning to the end which is now 3D printing. Wijk, A. ., Wijk, I. ., & IOS Press. (2015). 3D printing with biomaterials: Towards a sustainable and circular economy. This book discusses the various ways in which 3D printing can be used in the medical field. It talks about personalized medicine, regenerative medicine and surgeries. Read More