3D Printing: If You Can Dream It, You Can Build It

Dutch designer Joris Laarman is making history with a canal bridge in Amsterdam that will be built entirely by 3D printing robots. Laarman says his bridge will advance 3D printing into the realm of large-scale, functional objects whose appearance need only be limited by the designer's imagination.

Additive manufacturing － better known as 3D printing － began in the 1980s and was exactly opposite to the prevailing subtractive methods of production. 3D printing was most commonly used by the automotive and aerospace industries for rapid prototyping that significantly accelerated product development. The process involves building up sequential layers of a 3D model designed in CAD software. The primary industrial materials are plastics, metals, ceramics and paper, but experimentation continues to expand this lineup.

The most extraordinary feature of 3D printing is the endless and precise customization it offers, as virtually any geometric shape can be replicated from the programmed model. The printing is quick and fully-automated, which means parts or products can be made-to-order rather than pre-manufactured and stored in warehouses. By considerably cutting down on labor and storage costs, high-wage countries could reduce their dependence on outsourcing and importing.

As this new technology grows by leaps and bounds, it's becoming widely accessible through desktop 3D printers. However, regulating the safety and copyright infringement of products cranked out in cottage industries poses a real challenge.

3D列印：印出你的夢想

荷蘭設計師尤銳思．拉曼正在阿姆斯特丹以一座運河橋樑創造歷史，該橋完全以 3D 列印機器人打造。拉曼表示，他的橋將使 3D 列印技術進階到大規模的功能性物品領域，其外觀將僅受限於設計師的想像力。
積層製造——以 3D 列印較為人所知——始於 1980 年代，和當時流行的移除製造技法完全相反。3D 列印在當時最常用於汽車和航太業，旨在做出可明顯加速產品發展的快速產品原型。此過程牽涉以電腦輔助設計軟體打造出層層堆疊的 3D 模型。主要的工業材料為塑膠、金屬、陶瓷和紙張，不過後來的實驗持續延伸材料的名單。
3D 列印最突出的特色是能提供無止盡且精確的客製化服務，幾乎任何幾何形狀都可從設定好的模型上複製出來。列印過程快速且全自動化，這意味著零件或產品可下訂時再製作，毋須先生產然後堆積在倉庫裡。藉由大幅削減人力與儲藏的成本，高工資國家可降低對外包與進口的依賴。
隨著這項新技術飛躍式地成長，桌上型 3D 列印機使得 3D 列印越來越唾手可及。然而，管理家庭工業速成產品的安全性與著作權侵害才是一項真正的挑戰。