3D printing careers are just now being formed, and
the chances for interesting job titles may happen within the next couple
of years. One of those may be in providing services that help improve
3D printing when those printers happen to make errors. Yes, it can
happen, and there’s been some frustration when an object being printed
fails. Typically, there isn’t a way to fix it without starting over.
A group of MIT students have just provided a new service amending the above until 3D printers get to the point where they’re guaranteed to be error-free. While such a scenario is perhaps a long way off, it’s the use of a laser that’s now the answer to help complete a print after the print job fails.
The above trio of MIT students managed to invent such a system utilizing a laser to scan a failed 3D object and pick up printing where it left off. Through the scanning process, the program senses what the 3D object is supposed to look like and then proceeds to fill in what another 3D printer couldn’t do.
Even better, the laser is designed to print with two different colors, so you don’t even need two printing heads. It’s an amazing new idea from some of America’s greatest engineers. But what’s interesting is that they don’t want to commercialize the scanning system. They’ll be providing it as an open source concept, leaving it open to possible imitators who may use it as a career opportunity to assure quality 3D prints.
Will Others Copy the Idea of Completing 3D Printing Errors?
We have to hope the MIT students patented their idea, because with patent laws changed, someone else could beat them to getting the concept protected. Patent laws now only give patents to who files first. In that regard, we might see plenty of copycats taking this idea on as a real moneymaker.
You don’t hear enough about 3D printing errors, which can happen even on the best printers available for the home market. For someone running a business and needing to print out items regularly, having the above system to complete the project without delay would be very valuable. And many businesses would gladly pay to have such a tool available as a major safeguard.
We’ll watch and see how this develops and whether businesses and individuals will take advantage of the open source availability of this new 3D printer correcting system. It’s a development that shows how 3D printers shouldn’t necessarily be counted on to always be autonomous. Our nation’s engineers will only make them better as careers in 3d printing continues to evolve into changing our world.
A group of MIT students have just provided a new service amending the above until 3D printers get to the point where they’re guaranteed to be error-free. While such a scenario is perhaps a long way off, it’s the use of a laser that’s now the answer to help complete a print after the print job fails.
The above trio of MIT students managed to invent such a system utilizing a laser to scan a failed 3D object and pick up printing where it left off. Through the scanning process, the program senses what the 3D object is supposed to look like and then proceeds to fill in what another 3D printer couldn’t do.
Even better, the laser is designed to print with two different colors, so you don’t even need two printing heads. It’s an amazing new idea from some of America’s greatest engineers. But what’s interesting is that they don’t want to commercialize the scanning system. They’ll be providing it as an open source concept, leaving it open to possible imitators who may use it as a career opportunity to assure quality 3D prints.
Will Others Copy the Idea of Completing 3D Printing Errors?
We have to hope the MIT students patented their idea, because with patent laws changed, someone else could beat them to getting the concept protected. Patent laws now only give patents to who files first. In that regard, we might see plenty of copycats taking this idea on as a real moneymaker.
You don’t hear enough about 3D printing errors, which can happen even on the best printers available for the home market. For someone running a business and needing to print out items regularly, having the above system to complete the project without delay would be very valuable. And many businesses would gladly pay to have such a tool available as a major safeguard.
We’ll watch and see how this develops and whether businesses and individuals will take advantage of the open source availability of this new 3D printer correcting system. It’s a development that shows how 3D printers shouldn’t necessarily be counted on to always be autonomous. Our nation’s engineers will only make them better as careers in 3d printing continues to evolve into changing our world.
