How is 3D printing used in the space industry and how will its use in space be revolutionary for the technology? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 2014, a company called Planetary Resources developed a spacecraft entirely made using 3D technology. The craft was designed using CAD software and the parts were printed using 3D printers. The final product cost and weighed much less than an average NASA satellite. The final product was designed to be quite simple and didn't serve a very vital function, however the fact that a 3D printer could generate an object capable of space flight is astonishing, especially considering the fact that the product only had around 12 moving parts. This is a huge step forward in the 3D printing industry and proves that 3D printing is not just a fad for hobbyists. A machine capable of producing spacecraft is probably capable of anything. How do new reality capture platforms impact the 3D printing market? What are some of these new methods for acquiring data? As 3D printing has continued to evolve over the years, reality capture has grown along with it. 3D scanners and photogrammetry technology have made significant progress. It is now possible to create very high resolution 3D models from equipment such as a basic smartphone. Reality capture software continues to evolve to create more complicated and complex printable models. Portable scanners can now be used almost anywhere to create a 3D model of almost any object. High-resolution cameras can be used in conjunction with photogrammetry software to produce highly detailed 3D models of real-life objects. These higher resolution 3D models allow final prints to be accurate, detailed and of an overall higher quality than ever before. As reality capture techniques continue to improve, so will the quality of models and their prints. What are some of the near-future predictions for 3D printing according to industry leaders and researchers? Be sure to include information from videos and readings in your response. In particular, review the videos of Avi Reichental and Ping Fu. In the immediate future it is estimated that sectors such as jewellery, toys, costume jewellery, ceramics, small gifts etc. will thrive in the world of 3D printing. It's possible that within ten years, 3D printing will simply be the way we produce small, simple objects like these. Accessories and clothes will become increasingly easier to produce as technology advances. Even large-scale industrial products such as cars, boats, airplanes, spacecraft, factory machinery etc. they will begin to incorporate 3D printing more and more, however this will not be the norm for some time. The two main types of 3D printing coming up are metal printing and bioprinting. Metal printing is already possible and has been widely used and tested. As this process is perfected, large metal products, such as cars, will become much easier, cheaper and faster to produce. Biological printing is still in its experimental phase, however it is a rapidly growing technology. Researchers are currently able to print skin directly onto injured body parts. Entire body parts such as ears have already been printed, and researchers hope to soon be able to print larger organs such asliver and kidneys to be implanted in patients. Researchers and industry leaders in these fields see the many potential benefits of 3D technologies, such as a significant reduction in waste. A more important advantage, however, is the customization possibilities. The extensive customization offered by 3D technologies will allow consumers to design and see exactly what they want much easier than ever before. How does 3D printing affect art? What changes are happening in the art industry as a result of this technology? Artists are now using 3D CAD software to design works of art such as sculptures. Software allows artists to design more complicated and obscure projects than they could previously. Portable scanners allow artists to scan a person or object they want to insert into a work of art. This scan can then be uploaded to computer software where the artist can modify the piece however they like. The artist can then use the model as a template to hand-build the finished piece, or he or she can print the complex, modified model in a printer. Films are now starting to use 3D technologies such as scanners to create digital effects and CGI. Special effects experts can use the scanner to create models of people and places that can be digitally rendered and inserted into the film. This allows the special effects team to create an entirely CGI film with much greater ease than ever before. Another advancement for art is the creation of sculpted portraits and busts. Now, using LED lights and cameras along with photogrammetry and 3D scanners, it is possible to make incredibly accurate 3D models of individuals who wish to have a portrait of themselves. These 3D models can then be printed for the client requesting the portrait using high quality 3D printers. This is a much cheaper and faster process than asking an artist to physically sculpt someone's portrait. How will 3D printing have impacted education, digital heritage and learning and provide five of your predictions for 3D printing in the near future? future? As a disruptive technology, 3D printing and 3D technologies have begun to change the way we do almost everything, including learning, teaching, and heritage conservation. In the past, for example, a classroom teacher would have had to have items on hand to teach with, or order them and have them shipped. Now, if the teacher has access to 3D printing, they can simply search for a model of the object they want to teach with and print it. Instant access to learning tools will continue to facilitate learning and interest in learning. For heritage conservation, 3D scanning and photogrammetry have had a very big impact. Previously, to obtain a model of an artifact in the field, a researcher would have had to press a material onto the artifact and create a mold. Now, researchers can simply scan the object with a portable scanner and create a 3D model, which can then be printed. This allows researchers to have highly detailed images and models of the pieces they are studying without ever making physical contact with or ruining the piece. In my opinion the most interesting thing on the horizon for 3D printing is bioprinting. The ability to print skin directly onto the injured patient is incredible, without 3D technology this would never have been possible. In the near future I predict that simple organs such as livers and kidneys will be printed in the laboratory and implanted in patients. In the rather distant future I hope to see more complicated organs or even systems printed.