10 ways 3D Printing is postively impacting the world

For the past several weeks, 3D printing has been making headlines around the world, and primarily in the United States.
To highlight some of the positive impacts that 3D printing is having around the globe, here is a list of some of the top ways (not listed in order of importance) that the technology is making a difference for the environment, health, culture and more.

Disaster relief

In recent years, the benefits of using 3D printing for various disaster relief efforts have become increasingly apparent. Perhaps the most compelling use of 3D printing for disaster relief was which relied on 3D printing to make water pipe fittings and washers on the fly after the severe earthquake in Nepal.In other words, 3D printing’s suitability for producing spare parts has the potential to help communities in disaster areas to rebuild infrastructure more quickly.

Affordable housing

The last disaster relief application for 3D printing can also have a positive impact outside of disaster areas, as 3D printed housing has been touted as a possible solution for low-income housing.  The 3D printing technology used for the build is reportedly capable of constructing a single story, 600-800 square foot home in under 24 hours and is ultimately intended for producing housing in developing areas.

Affordable, stylish and children prosthetics

Almost as soon as affordable 3D printing technologies became available, literally dozens of projects have focused on using them to produce prosthetics at accessible costs to people in developing countries or to children.OpenΒionics, for example, works as an open-source initiative for the development of affordable, light-weight, modular robot hands and prosthetic devices, that can be easily reproduced using off-the-shelf materials. Their robot hands cost less than $100 and weigh less than 200g while their new anthropomorphic prosthetic hand costs less than $200 and weighs less than 300g.

More efficient transportation = less pollution

You could write hundreds of pages on the benefits that industrial 3D printing is bringing to industries such as aerospace, aviation, automotive and even energy production . However, strictly in terms of immediate benefits to humanity, using 3D printing in industrial manufacturing can help in many ways. For example by reducing waste and producing on demand. However one of the biggest benefits is weight reduction through part geometry optimization. This can become cost-effective only through the use of AM and in the near future, it will reduce emissions from airplanes and cars by millions of tons.

Saving the coral reefs

Some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, coral reefs are also some of the most fragile. In recent years especially, the underwater ecosystems have suffered tremendously from rising water temperatures and are not expected to survive for much longer.The grim reality of coral reefs is uplifted somewhat by a number of recent efforts to use 3D printing to reinvigorate coral growth and sustain the many aquatic species that live in the reefs.

Because of 3D printing’s ability to create internal geometries and textures, real coral structures can be mimicked. The hope is that by placing these coral lookalikes in the ocean, coral polyps will be able to grow around them and species dependent on coral for protection can thrive.

Better and more affordable healthcare

While you may not be aware of it, 3D printing is already being used to provide more affordable and more efficient medical and dental care. Custom, 3D printed titanium and polymer implants have already been implanted in thousands of patients with excellent results. 3D printed hip, spinal and knee replacements are common today as AM technologies can be used to produce lighter and more efficient structures that promote bone integration (osseointegration) through complex trabecular and lattice structures.

A similar situation is emerging for dental care. Orthodontic laboratories all over the world are using 3D technologies to make dental care more affordable. You can now use 3D printing to produce dental models, metal replacements and even temporary replacements. Soon, you will be able to use 3D printing even for permanent dental prosthetics made of advanced polymers so that everyone, everywhere will have access to better dental care.

In addition, 3D printing is being increasingly (though not nearly enough yet) used by surgeons to prepare for complex surgeries. Some of these surgeries would be impossible without enabling the surgeons to prepare for all eventualities using physical 3D printed models of the area (organs, veins, arteries, nerves) they are going to operate on. There are many examples but ones that stands above many other is the case of two conjoined twins successfully separated with support from 3D Systems technology in 2017.

3D bioprinted organs

Although 3D bioprinting is opening up amazing possibilities for the future, the idea of bioprinting replacement organs such as kidneys and livers is as far-fetched as the idea that criminals armed with 3D printed guns will take over the world. At the same time, some key parts of the human body can already be 3D printed using biocompatible and bioresorbable materials to save the life of patients.

Cultural and archeological preservation

3D scanning and 3D printing technologies have been used to rebuild and preserve priceless artifacts such as the burial site and even the full mummy of Tutankhamon and to rebuild parts.

At the same time, 3D printing can also be used in education and to make art and historical artifacts more available to those who suffer from visual or motion impairment as well as to those who live in remote areas of the world. 

Accessible medical and lab devices

On a global scale, additive manufacturing is helping to democratize innovation. You don’t need a ton of capital or access to industrial manufacturing equipment to develop and prototype a product, just a 3D printer and some inspiration. We’ve seen this take effect in some amazing ways, with many innovators developing medical products and lab devices to help people who may not have access to state of the art medical facilities.

STEM education

3D printing is playing an increasingly important role in the promotion and encouragement of STEM education amongst young students. With its ability to produce physical objects, the technology provides a hands on way for kids to learn about and engage with a variety of subjects.