3D Printed Works of Contemporary Art

3D Printers are changing the way we approach fabrication and design, and they’re impacting art as well. Artists all around the world are producing masterpieces using this innovative technology. The cool part of 3D printing is that an artist produces a design, not the actual piece. This means you can replicate any artwork many times. This also means that others can change and modify the files you make public.  In the future, you can expect to see more open source online communities built around creating various works of 3D printable art.

I came across an interesting article about the M Museam in Leuven, Belgium. The museam recently ran an exhibition of sculptures created using 3D printers called the The Parallellepipeda Project. Check out the promotional video for the Parallellepipeda Project below:

How Do You Find Designs To Print on a 3D Printer?

In order to print on a 3D printer, you need a digital design. These designs are often, but not always, in the form of CAD files (computer aided designs). So you may ask, what on earth is that?!?! Actually, CAD files have been used by engineers for years! Ask any engineer or engineering student and I garuntee they know about and have worked with CAD files during the course of their education. CAD is an important industrial art that has been used in architectural and industrial design, computer animations, special effects, advertising and much more. CAD files can now be converted into 3D printable files and the design can be printed as a three dimensional object on a 3D printer! For those of us who do not know how to create CAD files, no worries! As 3D printing technology gains popularity, more and more resources and websites will emerge that allow the general public to find and print these ditigal designs!

Who Makes 3D Printers?

Many companies already create and sell 3D printers. The following are some of the top 3D printer manufacturers and retailers (Google the company name to find out more):

**MakerBot
Reprap
Z Corp
Dimension
Next Engine
Fortus
Bits from Bytes

**MakerBot is among the top in the 3D printing industry. The goal of this company is to bring desktop 3D printing into the home at an affordable price. Customers actually build the printers themselves with easy directions provided by the company. Check out the Makerbot video below (even a kid can explain this stuff):

The Benefits of 3D Printing

Besides just being awesome, 3D printing technology actually has some other really great benefits:

1. Green: Finished products do not need to be shipped long distances, drastically reducing an item's carbon footprint. Additionally, exact quantities of materials are used which reduces waste.

2. Inventory: Being able to print exactly what one needs immediately when needed eliminates the necessity of keeping large inventories of products.

3. Convenience/Speed: Being able to print any object allows one to instantly have the desired object. This provides significant timesaving as one can obtain an object without having to order it or travel to a store.

4. Flexibility and Control: The ability to product an object anytime, any place, anywhere allows for flexibility and control.

5. Cost Savings: Cost of objects are comparible if not cheaper than those on would buy in a store because 3D printing only uses the exact amount of material needed to product an object.

All the more reason to look forward to the future of 3D printing! Keep checking back for news and updates about the 3D printing revolution!

3D Printing Takes Over the Media!

So now that you believe me that this incredible technology already exists, you may be wondering what could 3D printing possibly be used for? Well for starters, as the New York Times Youtube video demonstrated, 3D printing technology has been used for DECADES for rapid prototyping. That said, as new technologies emerge and 3D printers decrease in price, 3D printing will soon be available to the masses. Think about it people... this could change everything you know about current manufacturing methods! Businesses could quickly and efficiently produce customizable items at the touch of a button. People no longer would have to get into their cars and drive to a store to pick up everyday consumer products, they could print off items at home! Some very credible sources have recently written articles about  how this new emerging technology will change the face of manufacturing. Feel free to read some of the articles below:
The Economist
The New York Times
BBC News

WHAT IS 3D PRINTING?!

JUST IMAGINE. Imagine a future in which a device connected to a computer could print a solid object. A future in which tangible and intangible goods could be delivered to our desktops.

I know this may sound like a scene from Star Trek, but this sort of technology actually already exists!The technology is 3D printing. This manufacturing technology creates three dimensional objects by laying down successive layers of material, such as plastics.


Still don't believe me? The New York Times does a great job of explaining the basics of 3D printing. Check out their youtube video below:

Keep checking back for more information and updates about the 3D printing revolution!