All you need is an idea, some materials and a 3D printer, and you can turn all the ideas in your mind into entities. In principle, you can print a car, a house, an arm or even a piece of pork. This rapidly developing technology in Europe and America is listed as "the top ten fastest growing industries in the United States" by Time magazine, while The Economist magazine in Britain believes that it will "promote the third industrial revolution together with other digital production modes".
"No matter what you think, as long as it is made with 3D software, it can become an entity by inputting it into a 3D printer." The 3D printer described by Li Xiaohong, product sales director of Guangzhou Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., Chinese Academy of Sciences, is a kind of "or will be omnipotent" product.
It is understood that the magical 3D printer originated from the military's "rapid prototyping" technology, which is a technology that CAD (Computer Aided Design) makes physical models by stacking materials through molding equipment. Its working principle is similar to that of traditional printers in many places. It is equipped with molten nylon powder and halogen lamps, allowing users to download patterns. Different from the traditional printer, it prints powder instead of paper. When printing, it divides the design into several thin layers, each time using raw materials to generate a thin layer, and then "forming" layer by layer.
The magic of 3D printing technology is that it can automatically, quickly, directly and accurately transform the design in the computer into a model, and even directly manufacture parts or molds. Without traditional tools, fixtures and machine tools, it can be made into any shape, and small products can be completed in half a day.
"3D printer is the most iconic production tool in the third industrial revolution, and this digital manufacturing, new energy and Internet constitute the third industrial revolution," said Tang Min, counselor of the State Council and executive vice chairman of Friendship Foundation. It will replace all kinds of traditional processing machinery used in traditional manufacturing industry and revolutionize the production mode of manufacturing industry. The biggest feature is that it does not require large-scale assembly line manufacturing.
In fact, 3D printing technology has a history of several decades in Europe and America, and it entered China in 2002. After several years of industry reshuffle and promotion, it has been recognized in Hong Kong and Guangdong, and has been applied in toy manufacturing, medical equipment, industrial design, electronic product manufacturing and other industries. However, Li Xiaohong admitted that during the promotion, he found that many places still knew little about this technology.
3D printers are not only interesting, but also really useful. Jiangmen Andy Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. saves a lot of time and cost through 3D printers. Before, the company's models were all made of machine tools, which was very time-consuming. If they are not suitable, they will have to be knocked down. The 3D printer can form the whole sample at one time, and the precise locking position of the faucet model is highly compatible with the key position, so the designer can operate it by himself, which greatly shortens the research and development cycle and reduces the manufacturing cost of the bathroom model. The person in charge of Andy Sanitary Ware said that the 3D printer has greatly promoted the development progress of new products, and at the same time increased the confidentiality of new products in the research and development stage, so that product research and development can be completed independently.
Li Xiaohong said that the training in operating 3D printers can be completed in half an hour. This means that ordinary people can also operate 3D printers. However, he also said that the application has not reached the level of popularization, because among the different models of 3D printers produced by his company, the cheapest one is more than 100,000 yuan. "Comparing the values of enterprises with high design frequency can shorten the research and development cycle, improve product quality and save research and development costs."
Chen, general manager of Flash Casting Technology Co., Ltd., the largest seller of 3D printers in China, told the reporter that users of 3D printers need to install Proeug, rhinoceros and other software for modeling. If they can't operate the software, the application scope of the machine will be much smaller, and they can only use it by downloading the corresponding files. "Although it's not difficult, it's as easy as learning Photoshop, but it's still difficult to use it well."
At present, more than a dozen universities in Guangdong, including Sun Yat-sen University and Jinan University, have purchased 3D printers. This is good news for students majoring in industrial design. They can turn their designs into products in the design room and make adjustments and improvements at any time. Some students benefited from the rapidity and convenience of 3D, and took part in the "Governor's Cup" industrial design competition in Guangdong Province with 3D printer products.
Tang Min believes that the reason why 3D printers are called "the third industrial revolution" is that the popularization of this technology will make the labor force directly engaged in production continuously and rapidly decline, and the proportion of labor force in the total production cost will become smaller and smaller. At the same time, this new technology can meet various requirements of personalization and customization. For 3D printers, the cost is the same whether it is mass production cost or different production.
Guangzhou Institute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has been able to produce 3D printers, and Tsinghua University is also conducting related research. The reporter found that a cheap 3D printer can be bought on a shopping website in China, the price ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 yuan, and it is equipped with a quick start guide, corresponding software download, machine calibration and other introductions. However, it is not known what the function of this 3D printer is.