The future of 3D printing Digital meets the visible world Gabriela Ehrlich
e-tech attended a presentation by Carl Bass, CEO of Autodesk during CES. Carl Bass has been a pioneer of 3D printing. Below is a summary of his talk.
Intimately linked Bass started by explaining that 3D printing is older than one thinks. It started roughly 25 years ago but its success is directly linked to the progression of the Internet and of the overall digital environment; 3D printing lies at the cross path of the digital and the visible world.
New technologies require new thinking He defended the idea that new technologies such as 3D printing need to be used to do things that we couldn't even conceive of before. In his view taking a new technology to do the same old thing a tiny bit differently is simply not that interesting.
Some challenges to overcome Bass then gave a quick overview of what has been happening in 3D printing over the past few years and some of the shortcomings that need to be addressed if we want to move to the next level. In his words these include:
1. Reliability. Failure rates for 3D printing are insanely high. For those who 3D print all the time there is a certain level of anxiety when they walk over to the printer in the morning to check whether a project successfully printed, often finding that it hasn't.
2. 3D printing quality is low. The resolution is simply not high enough; the quality of parts is not good enough.
3. Speed. 3D printers are simply too slow. If a cube of 10 cm3 takes 1 hour to print, then a cube of double that size (20 cm3) will take 8 hours and one of four times the initial size (40 cm3) will take 64 hours. This is a difficult barrier to remove.
4. Materials. Most of the materials available today are not good enough for the products that are being printed.
A 3D printer in every home? Bass feels that the 3D hype is at its peak. Many people who go out and buy a 3D printer actually end up being disappointed. They get home, print three things and then they don't know what to print next. The workflow and handling of the tools is still too complex.
But Bass also sees this as a business opportunity to do better. He strongly feels that the idea that every home will own a 3D printer is farfetched. 3D printers are noisy; they are not a home device . Instead businesses will develop around the idea of giving the consumer access to the 3D experience without the need for ownership. What Bass thinks will happen is that everybody will have access to 3D printers via a 3D printing service model, either online or locally. It is much more likely that consumers will own scanners, because at the basic level you need a 3D model to 3D print.
Bass also feels that until now consumer 3D printing was overvalued while industrial 3D printing has been underestimated: 3D printing will have the biggest value in industrial added manufacturing .
Small investment, huge flexibility With increasing computing power, design tools, simulation tools and 3D printing, relatively little skill is needed to produce something. In the past, industrial production required massive capital investment and a lot of skill. In 3D printing, shape flexibility is absolute and all that is needed is a little bit of digital craftsmanship. It's all about moving files from here to there and in Bass's view, in the future, even that will need to be simplified.
The next industrial revolution 25 years ago 3D printing was labelled as rapid prototyping. This is still the most widespread use for industrial applications and incredibly useful. Bass feels that one of the places where 3D printing will be applied most is in industrial tooling and fixtures where it will replace injection moulding.
Here a combination of additive and substractive printing will offer a novel way to enable previously impossible designs. This technique allows for example to print metal that will then be melted. The result is a material efficiency and performance that comes from 3D printing and the precision that comes from substractive approaches like machining.
Part of a much bigger set of tools The industrial revolution enabled mass production of high-quality and low-cost products. 3D printing and the whole new world of digital fabrication enables the same level of quality at the same cost but for very low quantities. Tools are built into a workflow that from the start includes 3D printing. But 3D printing is only a part of a much bigger set of technologies which include software, design, and materials and in Bass's view this is where the real industrial revolution will lie.
Revolutionizing computer aided design Bass went on to explain the problems of today's design process. He feels that computer aided design software doesn't really allow the computer to do much in terms of aiding the design. What the computer mostly does is record a design that is already in the head of the designer. People have an idea, design it by giving precise instructions and then test it digitally and then visually. In Bass's words: Design reminds me a bit of the game of battle ship: the engineer says B3 and the analyst says miss the engineer then says G5 and the analyst says miss. Today, design is still very much trial and error' and eventually you run out of time or patience or money or you just accept good enough'.
Thousands of possible design solutions Now, according to Bass there is a complete rethinking of how the computer can support the design effort. With advances in computer processing and bandwidth, the price of computing has fallen so low and is so easily available that there is near infinite computing power.
Now, instead of explicitly drawing geometry or describing a curve or shape, it is possible to explain a problem to a computer at a high level in terms of size, weight, ae
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
The future of 3D printing Digital meets the visible world Gabriela Ehrlich
