For many of us tech enthusiasts, 3D printing is more than a hobby; it is a glimpse into the future. However, not everyone is convinced by 3D yet. If you are desperate to get your non-techie friends interested in this new technology, here’s how to present it to them.
Explaining the Benefits
There are a lot of misconceptions about 3D printers, what they are capable of now, and what they will be capable of in the future. In order to properly explain 3D printers to someone who is not familiar with the term, it is best, to begin with, their benefits. Some of the benefits of 3D printing will not be felt until the future; for example, it will be some time before we are routinely buying blueprints for products rather than the products themselves.
However, we can already see many of the benefits of 3D printing. For one thing, 3D printing has already enabled us to design and customize parts in a way that wasn’t possible before. In order to modify the design of a 3D printed product, we only need to alter the digital blueprint from which it is made.
When it has matured, 3D printing will be considerably more environmentally friendly than current manufacturing methods. 3D printing also enables us to minimize the amount of material that is wasted when making products.
How They Work
The precise details of how a 3D printer works are likely to only be of interest to the most technologically minded. If your goal is to explain to a non-techie why 3D printing is the future, it is best to focus on the simplicity of the process rather than the technical details.
Even the most rudimentary 3D printer involves little more than connecting the device to a computer, setting it up, and then telling it to print the appropriate blueprint. Setting up a 3D printer is much more complex than setting up a regular printer, as you would expect. However, this is something that anyone can do.
While the inner workings of a 3D printer are a mystery to most people, knowledge of how the machine works are not required in order to take advantage of its capabilities.
Capabilities and Limitations
Lots of people are saying lots of different things with regard to what 3D printers are capable of. The issue is that some people are discussing 3D printers as they exist now, while others are discussing 3D printers in the future. In the distant future, we may be able to 3D print your own medicine as well as everyday household products. To give people an idea of where 3D printers are currently, ultimaker news is an excellent source of insight.
But if your goal is to get someone who isn’t very technologically minded interested in 3D printers, it is best, to be honest with them that, in their current state, this isn’t what they are able to do. Right now, consumer 3D printers are only able to work with one material at a time. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of some pretty amazing things.
3D printing is one of the most significant technologies in the world, even in its current state. Right now, 3D printing is already doing some very cool stuff. This is a technology that will one day be a staple in every home, not just those of tech-lovers.