3D Printing and Structures:
3D printing is often times thought to primarily make small prototype models, components of items, or pieces needed for medical use. Either way, most of the items made are small, but that is starting to change as larger 3D printers are becoming more prevalent. In the article “Giant 3D printers for making boats, bridges, buildings, and rockets” researchers at the University of Maine are exploring the use of these large printers and their ability to produce large structures, such as a boat. Compared to a normal boat that can take months to build by hand a 25 ft. patrol boat was built in just 72 hours using a giant 3D printer [1]. The university assumes that being able to 3D print the American Army patrol boat, it will reduce the cost and time needed to produce future boats. I would take that assumption a bit further and say that any structure that can be built using a 3D printer will cut the time and cost needed to produce that item.
That being said, the larger the item, the larger the printer is needed to complete the project. The university is continuing their research by changing the composites that the 3D printers use in order to make them more eco friendly, with an overall goal of using a material that is 50% wood, as it would be as strong and light as aluminum [1].
Materials used throughout the 3D printing process are also being expanded upon and improved. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who worked in conjunction with the University of Maine, are expanding their moulds for concrete castings, as well as printing precast concrete directly. Chad Mirkin has also discovered a way to improve 3D printing using imaging and liquid polymers, which allows a wide range of materials to be printed in a fraction of the time compared to a conventional 3D printer. Heavy metal printing is a much more difficult task for the printers to complete. They are overcoming the complexities by using special welding torches that blow an inert gas onto the weld to prevent the metal powder being used from oxidizing or exploding. All things considered, the expansion of printer size and printer material will allow for more and more structures to be built in just a fraction of the time. Not all things in life can be made from a printer, but a lot of everyday things can be.
BIM:
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is becoming a more commonly used term in the construction/engineering industry, and I for one have been part of the BIM movement at my previous co-ops. In the video “Building Information Modeling (BIM) by Peter Caplehorn, UK Construction Products Association” Peter discusses where the ideas of BIM came from and why they work so well. The idea stems from cars and aircrafts, which are primarily designed, manufactured, and assembled on a computer. He says why not take this idea and apply it to buildings. By being able to manufacture and assemble parts and pieces takes the problems and the bugs out and achieves reliability in the projects that are being produced [2]. He also points out that BIM modeling is much more than a drawing or a 3D model image, BIM is more about the data it is able to store, which goes on to support the 3D images created. I personally have not thought too deep into how much data is actually stored in the BIM models I have worked on, but it is a lot. These programs are developed to improve reliability, performance, health and safety, and any other aspects needed for a complete building. The one takeaway we should always remember is that BIM=data [2].
Resources:
[1] Science and Tech. “Giant 3D Printers for Making Boats, Bridges, Buildings and Rockets.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, Nov. 2019, www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2019/11/14/giant-3d-printers-for-making-boats-bridges-buildings-and-rockets.
[2] Caplehorn, Peter. “Building Information Modeling (BIM) by Peter Caplehorn, UK Construction Products Association.” YouTube, YouTube, Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn4Pwoc3Ndo.
Comments:
Steve,
Like you, I read the article about 3D printing various structures. While 3D printing entire buildings from scratch might seem like a reach, I do think it is important to remember how much time and money could potentially be saved. With the exploration of numerous new materials able to be incorporated into the printing action, the possibility of what can be created is endless. These larger printers still need more developing before we, as a society, can trust them to build my school or home in a month.
Andrew,
I found it fun to read your article about artificial intelligence, as most of us now have it incorporated into our lives in more ways than one. I always find it a bit funny when people don't want an "alexa" or "google home" because they think its just an easy way for the government to listen to them, when in reality we all have phones and computers that allow for the same thing. I also think there needs to be a line for AI because it is not all secure. If something should be tailored to a single person it can easily be changed by someone hacking a system. The technology behind it is amazing, but its not all figured out just yet.
Abdul,
I also found the conversation about the use of robots in technology interesting. I can say that this type of work goes hand in hand with 3D printing parts and pieces needed for construction. The use of robots allows for communication on an entirely new level, between both humans and robots. And although most of the robots in use are man made, one day the robots will be building robots, which is far to much for me to think about right now.
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