3-D printing and the future of stuff

• Author: Catherine Jewell
• Position: Communications Division, WIPO
• Pages: 2-6

p. 2 2013 | 2

Have you ever searched for a lamp but ju st couldn’t nd the right one, or had to wait

months for a spare part for a hou sehold device that is no long er produced? These

frustrations could soon b e a thing of the past. High performance 3-D printing or ad-

ditive manufacturing technologies, rst developed in laboratories some 30 years ago,

are now available for consumer s. One of the most exciting innovations to emerge

in recent times, 3-D printing of fers the realistic possibility that anyone, anywh ere in

the world can produce any obje ct they need on demand. For some, 3-D p rinting

marks the “democratization” of manufac turing, a new age of mass person alization

that promises to boost innovation, foster more ef cient use of resources a nd trans-

form the way things are produced. Some have go ne so far as to characterize it as

the “Third Industrial Revolution”. This article considers the technology’s expanding

range of applications and i ts huge innovation potential. It also reects on why i t is

that intellectual proper ty (IP) policymakers need to watch this space.

WHAT IS 3-D PRINTING?

3-D printing, alias additive manufacturing (AM) or direct digital manufacturing (DDM),

makes it possible to create an objec t by creating a digital le and printing it at home

or sending it to one of a growing numbe r of online 3-D print ser vices. In the 3-D

printing process, this digi tal blueprint, created using com puter-aided design (CAD)

software, is sliced into 2-dimensio nal representations whic h are fed through to a

printer that starts buildi ng up an object layer by layer from its base. L ayers of mate-

rial (in liquid, powder or lam ent form) are deposited onto a “build area” an d fused

together. This additive process, which minimizes wa ste because it only uses the

amount of material required to make the co mponent (and its suppor t), is distinct

from traditional “subtractive” manufacturing processes where materials are cut away

to produce a desired form.

A number of 3-D printing techniq ues exist. The rst commercial 3-D print techn ology,

stereolithography, was invented in 1984 by Charles Hull. Several other tech niques have

emerged since, including fused deposition modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering

(SLS) and PolyJet Matrix. Some of these techniqu es involve melting or softening

layers of material, others involve binding p owdered materials and yet others invol ve

jetting or selectivel y-hardening liquid materials.

The process of “growing” objects laye r by layer also means that, with 3-D printing, it

is possible to create more intricate and co mplex structures than can be done using

traditional manufacturing techniques.

CURRENT APPLICATIONS

3-D printing was originally developed for rapid prototyping purposes, making one

or two physical samples. It allowed designers to identify and correct design aws

quickly and cheap ly, thereby speeding up the product develop ment process and

minimizing commercial risks. According to business analysts CSC, prototyping

remains the largest commercial application of the technology, accounting for some

70 percent of the 3-D print market.

3-D printing

and the future of stu

Gaudi Chai r designed by Dutc h designer

Bram Geenen. 3 -D printing tec hnology makes

it possible to create geometric ally complex

objects that ca nnot be made in any ot her way.

Photo: 3-D Systems Co rp

By Catherine Jewell,

Communications Division, WIPO