3D Printing the Future of Shopping

7/23/2019 3D Printing the Future of Shopping

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3D printing lets you design and make things

on demand. Will it change the way you shop?

Find out what some experts think a shopping tripmight be like in a 3D printed consumer future

THE FUTURE OF SHOPPING

What do you want?

1.Right for you...p1

2.Easy access...p23.Personalise it...p3

4.Design it...p4

5.Designers of the future...p5

6.Printers of the future...p6

1.Budget bespoke...p15

2.Cheaper transport?...p16

3.Environmental issues...p17

4.Sea of plastic?...p18

5.Better materials...p19

1.Hit the internet...p7

2.Thingiverse...p83.Encouraging entrepreneurs...p9

4.Smart search engines...p10

1.Special delivery...p11

2.Local 3D printing...p12

3.What about the high street?...p13

4.3D print shops...p14

Will it coast the Earth?

Where can you find it?

How do you get it?

Image:Flickr/came

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Contents


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What do you want?

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RIGHT FOR YOUSometimes its hard to find the exactproduct you want. Does it come in anothercolour? Is there a different size? Whatswith those fancy bits?

3D printed objects start off as a digital file.This means you can modify and see anitem in virtual space before you buy it. Inthe future, this could mean you get the 3Dprinted product you want every time.

You can modify the design for these shoes

to make them the perfect fit

Image: Wikimedia Commons/EdytaZwirecka

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What do you want?

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EASY ACCESSOver the past few years 3D printing hasbecome more available. You can buy abasic printer for under 1000, or access onethrough an online printing company.

The products these consumer printers makeare limited to simple, plastic items such asphone cases.

But despite the limits of consumer printers,a large number of people are opting to usethem to personalise and print their own stuff.

A 3D printed phone case.

Image: Flickr/John Biehler

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What do you want?

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PERSONALISE ITWhats the appeal of 3D printedpersonalisation? Duann Scott from online 3Dprinting marketplace Shapeways explains:

3D printing gives you the opportunity to havesomething unique. Designing, customisingand making something yourself - it makes theobject more significant. You can put your nameon it, choose colours, sizes, shapes make thethings in your life unlike anyone elses.

You dont even have to tweak an existingdesign. You can create something new - once

you learn the design software.

Image: Strvct Shoe courtesy ofContinuum Fashion

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What do you want?

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DESIGN ITFor some 3D design programs you need anexpert just to handle the basics. But easy-to-use 3D design software is becomingmore common. Lisa Harouni founded DigitalForming to make it easy for everyone:

Our team of software designers are improvingthe user interface, making the software easierto use. As it becomes more available morepeople will be inspired to create and maketheir own things.

Will 3D design reallycatch on?

Lisa Harouni and the team

Image: Digital Forming

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What do you want?

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DESIGNERS OFTHE FUTURE

Martin Stevens runs 3D technology companyit is 3D. He teaches UK school kids 3D designand technology:

3D printing is an amazing technology thatinspires creativity. I think 3D design will be abig part of everyones lives, but its importantto introduce 3D design and printing to kids asearly as possible. It could encourage them tobecome architects, engineers or designers.

5.

Just like using computers, if children get into 3D

design early it could become second nature.

Image: it is 3D Ltd


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What do you want?

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PRINTERS OFTHE FUTURE

At the moment, consumer 3D printers canmake simple, plastic objects. In the future,advanced industrial printers could become

more generally available to people.

Artist Bathsheba Grossman thinks theseprinters will be used to make the productsconsumers reallywant.

High-end printers can print in steel, bronze oreven gold. I use them to make beautiful things

that can be completely individual - thisis thefuture of 3D printing for consumers.

6.

Image: Bathsheba Grossman


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HIT THE INTERNETWhat if youre not quite ready to tackle 3Ddesign software and make the design yourself?Where can you get hold of a design to tweak?

Theres an array of 3D printing companies withwebsites full of customisable digital designs.



Image: Flickr/rich115

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THINGIVERSEThingiverse.com is one of the largest onlinedatabases of 3D designs. 3D printing companyMakerBot created Thingiverse in 2008. CEOBre Pettis told us:

We have digital designs for all sorts of items,from models and toys, to jewellery andhomeware. These designs can be viewed anddownloaded online, just like music off iTunes,but designs on Thingiverse are all free.

As 3D printing becomes more popular andavailable what are the unexpected benefits?

Customisable birds on Thingiverse.

Image: Jennie Hills/Science Museum

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ENCOURAGINGENTREPRENEURS

MakerBots Jenifer Howard explains how 3Dprinting helps you see the world differently:

It encourages creativity; you think, I couldmake that better. People around the worldare uploading their 3D printable designs foranyone to play with, alter and print. Someuse 3D printing to fix old items. Some evensell their designs. 3D printing helps createentrepreneurs.

With all these designs out there, how do youfind the design youre looking for?

Image: Flickr/Mike Licht

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SMART SEARCH ENGINES3D web entrepreneur Seena Rejal has a cleverway to find designs online:

Weve created a new kind of search engine thatsearches for 3D shapes the way normal searchengines search for words. If you saw somethingyou liked you could scan or photograph it, uploadit to the search engine and find a digital design.

The search engine will find 3D designs that aresimilar in geometry and shape to the objectyouve uploaded.

Seena Rejal

Image: Science Museum/Chocolate Films

3D search engine

Image: Science Museum/Chocolate Films

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How do you get it?

SPECIAL DELIVERYIf you know what you want, and can find adesign for it online and perfect it, how doyou get it made?

Easily in fact you dont even need to buyyour own 3D printer. Most websites for 3Dprintable designs can arrange to have itprinted and sent to you.

However there are new, faster ways to getyour 3D print to your doorstep.

Image: Flickr/dok1

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How do you get it?

LOCAL 3D PRINTINGBram de Zwart and Brian Garret set up 3DHubs, a website that connects designers withprinters so you can have something printedclose to home. Bram explains:

3D Hubs is an online database of peoplewith 3D printers. Type in your address andpeople close by that can print your objectwill appear. Pick one, e-mail us your design,and well send it to them.

What about the high street?

Bram de Zwart and Brian Garret

Image: 3D Hubs

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How do you get it?

WHAT ABOUT THEHIGH STREET?

You might expect to take care of all your future3D printing needs without ever leaving yourhome. But not all 3D printing will be ordered

online shops could provide 3D printingservices like old-fashioned copy shops.

Staples are one of the first large retailers tocatch on. They have introduced 3D printers instores so customers can 3D print items, or buytheir own printer.

What about other shops?

Image: Science Museum

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How do you get it?

3D PRINT SHOPSCandice Majewski, a lecturer in mechanicalengineering at the University of Sheffield,thinks 3D printing services on the highstreet could be commonplace in the future.

Certain one-off items, like replacementparts for your washing machine, could be3D printed for you in a hardware store.Instead of sending you a replacement part,the manufacturer could send the file to alocal store to print for you.

We could go into a shop to get a replacement

part printed, such as a new handle for a utensil.

Image: Flickr/Creative Tools

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BUDGET BESPOKERight now, if you want something unique andcustom made, youre going to have to paymore. Lisa Harouni from Digital Forming thinks3D printing could change this:

Getting a professional to design and make youa unique product can be very expensive. 3Dprinting makes access to one-off manufacturingeasy, so you could design something yourselfand get it printed, saving money.

Will it just be high-end bespoke items that getcheaper because of 3D printing?

Lisa Harouni

Image: Digital Forming

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CHEAPER TRANSPORT?Some argue that 3D printing everyday itemslocally will reduce the need to ship thingsthousands of miles from factories overseas,saving big bucks on transport costs.

Better still, less need for international shippingwould help the environment.

But not everyone agrees

Mass-produced products are shipped all over

the world. Could we save money by producing

things locally?

Image: Flickr/Derell Licht

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ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESPhil Reeves from Econolyst, a 3D printingconsultancy, doesnt think printing locally willsave money.

A printer needs to heat up and takes hours toprint one thing. The cost of a million peopleprinting in a million different places will be huge.Youre better off producing things in factories,where it takes 15 seconds.

As for the environment, transportation is onlya tiny fraction of the energy it takes to producesomething.

Whats worse, some argue 3D printing willcreate a sea of plastic junk...

Phil Reeves

Image: Phil Reeves

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SEA OF PLASTIC?Jenifer Howard, from 3D printing companyMakerBot, disagrees:

3D printing has been around for over 25 years.Its only recently that consumer 3D printinghas become popular. With this came the needto print with more friendly materials. So ourconsumer printers use PLA, a bioplastic madefrom corn thats compostable. And it smells likewaffles when its printing!

What about other biodegradable materials?

PLA is a non-toxic material, safe for people to

use in 3D printers in their office and home.

Image: Flickr/washuugenius

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BETTER MATERIALSThe increasing popularity of consumer 3Dprinting has driven materials scientists tocome up with new, friendly materials toprint with.

MakerBots CEO Bre Pettis explains arecent innovation:

Our Flexible Filament was recently used tomake a 3D printed dress the Verlan Dress.Its environmentally friendly and flexible. Ifyou immerse it in boiling water it becomesa malleable material that can be reused.

MakerBot partnered with Brooklyn designer

Francis Bitonti to create the Verlan Dress

using Flexible Filament.

Image: Christrini

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3D Printing the Future of Shopping

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