If you’re at all keyed into the modern consumer tech world, then you’ve probably heard about the huge boom in hobbyist 3D printing over the last few years. From costume and prop makers to artists, plenty of people are discovering the benefits of 3D printing. However, the positive impact of this new technology goes far beyond that. 3D printing is having a genuine, positive impact on the world as a whole. Here are just a few things that 3D printing is doing to make the world a better place.
Affordable housing
Housing is a huge issue in many countries all across the globe, especially in the developing world. With a lack of space, resources and money causing many people to go without a roof over their head. However, there are companies who are already taking advantage of 3D printing technology in order to construct affordable homes out of recycled material. This could radically change the lives of entire communities in poorer parts of the world, offer affordable homes that don’t have a significant negative impact on the planet.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing has gone through some incredible changes in the last couple of decades, from the reshoring of many companies to the rise of automation, but 3D printing is having a huge impact at the moment because it allows replacement parts to be made much more easily. Even the manufacturing of parts for the 3D printers themselves is getting easy with companies like Moons’ Industries being able to easily manufacture motors and controllers for the printers. That way if parts are missing, companies no longer have to worry about waiting for weeks for replacements to arrive.
Organ donation
For many people, finding themselves on the waiting list for an organ transplant can be a horrible experience. You have to wait for months at a time, sometimes years, never knowing if you’ll actually get the life-saving organ that you really need. However, 3D printing can actually be used to print functioning organs from living tissue. This means that patients will not only be able to get organs faster, but they can be sure that they’re healthy and a solid match. Of course, it’s still incredibly early days when it comes to this technology, but over the next few decades, we should start to see some genuinely amazing results that could save thousands of lives.
Reducing plastic waste
Recycling plastic waste is a process that uses a great deal of energy and is remarkably inefficient. Luckily, there are 3D printers that exclusively use recycled material. Not only that but turning recycled plastic into the spools that many 3D printers have been shown to be far more energy efficient than traditional recycling methods.
Much of 3D printing technology is still very much in its infancy, and there are plenty of people who are sceptical of it, the use of 3D printing to create weapons is a highly contentious issue. However, there’s no denying that it’s something that’s going to continue to have an impact on the way many industries work and the way that we live our lives for a very long time.
