Printing Objects? The 3D Printer, a "Santa Claus Machine"
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The day is drawing near when you will be able to download the blueprint of an item that you were thinking about ordering online and print the object with a 3D printer at home (Previously introduced in the World IT Show Posting). You can take a picture with a 3D printer camera or input a blueprint. Then, the printer deposits polymers, such as plastic or metal, in layers in order to "print" an object. You can create any object you want within a short amount of time, since it is easy to share or modify blueprints.
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This amazing printer was invented about 30 years ago, in the early 1980s, by 3D Systems, an American manufacturing company. They used liquid plastic and hardened it to build objects. Since then, 3D printing technology has advanced along with developments in information technology. Wohlers Associates, an American consulting firm, forecasts that the global market for 3D printing will grow rapidly, at an average of 29% a year. 3D printing is now being applied in an increasing number of fields, and investments in 3D printing research centers has been growing as well.
Currently, 3D printing technology from countries such as the United States and Japan is more advanced and is also being commercialized. However, Korea is rapidly narrowing the gap, as a global IT powerhouse should. In Korea, 3D printing began with the production of small objects, such as hearing aids, tiles, and teeth for dental implants. Now, it is used in producing much larger objects used in medical equipment, automobiles, and aircraft.
Let's take a look at two companies, Delight and Carima, that are leading the 3D printing market in Korea.
1) Using a 3D printer to create quality hearing aids that perfectly fit in your ears, "Delight"
3D printing began to be used early in the hearing aid industry. Delight Hearing Aid implemented 3D printing technology in 2011, and since then, they have been manufacturing hearing aids that way. They scan customers' ears with a 3D scanner to get the exact shape and then, with a 3D printer, print hearing aids that perfectly fit in their ears. Customers had been very satisfied with Delight's handmade hearing aids in the past, however, with 3D printing technology, it became easier to create hearing aids with such detail that human hands could never achieve. These customized hearing aids have greatly improved customer satisfaction. Also, mass production allows for competitive prices for Delight's hearing aids, and since information on scanned ears is stored, it's quick and easy to recreate hearing aids for customers if they lose one.
Kim Jung-hyun, CEO of Delight Hearing Aids, remarked that the customers are incredibly satisfied with their hearing aids, owing to the fact that 3D printers can create more detailed and suitable hearing aids. "I expect that the increasing use of 3D printers will bring about the third industrial revolution", he remarked.
2) "Carima", a 3D printer manufacturer
Carima is the only 3D printer manufacturer in Korea. Above is a picture of the "Geobukseon", or Turtle Ship, which illustrates how advanced Carima's technology is.
Carima is at the vanguard of the Korean 3D printer market. With their cutting-edge technology and outstanding products, Carima stepped into the 3D printing market, which had been neglected by tech giants and other larger companies due to the lack of marketability. This was possible for them because Carima had accumulated its own optical and chemical technology during 30 years of developing film.
They began to export their 3D printers and, their technology, which was ranked on par with large foreign company's technology, was highly recognized abroad. Last year, a company from Japan, where there is a strong manufacturing industry, purchased about 10 printers. Currently, Carima has signed contracts with companies in about 20 different countries to export 3D printers. Their printers are not only technologically advanced, but also well priced, where some printers are about half the price of their competitors.
After about five years of research and development of digital film developing technology, Lee Byung-guek, CEO of Carima, succeeded in the completely domestic production of 3D printers. On top of that, he developed ways to combine 17 different chemicals to allow the production of objects with varying degrees of hardness and color.
The 3D printer market in Korea is growing through online communities, and people expect 3D printers to gradually become more popular and common in homes by 2015.
In the future, you will be able to create your own world with a 3D printer. Using different materials, you can design and print your own clothes, snacks that suit your taste, and coffee mugs to enjoy your daily cup of Joe.
So, what do you think? Would you like to purchase a 3D printer, your own "Santa Claus Machine"?