The H.A.C.K.E.R. Project

3D printing is one of the many marvels of present-day technology. 3D printers can literally help bring imagination to life; if you can 3D model it, you can 3D print it. But how, exactly, did the concept of 3D printing originate?

The Beginning: Natural Phenomenon

Interestingly, the origin of 3D printing actually stems from a natural phenomenon. It “can be found in rock formations deep underground”, where “dripping water deposits thin layers of minerals to form stalactites and stalagmites” in caves and caverns (Matulka). Similarly, the formation of crystals is much like 3D printing. Over time, layers of material are deposited, one way or another, on top of previous layers; this material hardens and further crystalizes, growing the crystal.

Stereolithography

It was not until the 1980s, however, that 3D printing as we know it was invented. Chuck Hull, an engineer and physicist, is credited with first inventing the concept of modern-day 3D printing (Matulka). Specifically, in 1983, Chuck Hull created “the first-ever 3D printed part, inventing Stereolithography” (3D Systems). Stereolithography is “an additive manufacturing process that uses a vat of liquid UV-curable photopolymer resin and a UV laser to build parts one layer at a time.  By using UV light to cure photosensitive polymers, produce parts built up from the vat of resin” (Stratasys). Essentially, beams of ultra-violet (UV) light are shone through the liquid resin, which causes the resin to harden. By directing and focusing the beams of light, various shapes can be created, layer by layer.

Soon after, in 1984, Chuck Hull filed his patent for the “Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA)”, and in 1986, he cofounded the company known as 3D Systems, the “first 3D printing company in the world” (3D Systems). By 1987, 3D Systems “commercialize[d] the first 3D printer, the SLA-1 Stereolithography (SLA) printer”, bringing 3D printing technology to the market and paving the way for this technology (3D Systems).

3D Printing Today

Today, there are many different types and models of 3D printer available for purchase by both companies and consumers alike; some printers use stereolithography technology, others extrude liquid metal or plastic that rapidly cools into layers, and others still utilize a mixture of powder and glue to form 3D objects. In 2014, Chuck Hull was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and receives the European Inventor Award” for his foundational work in the 3D printing field (3D Systems).

3D printing played a key role in helping to save lives during the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, “many healthcare facilities turned to 3D printing to supply their staff with much-needed protective equipment, as well as the parts to fix their ventilators” (Daley). In addition to this, 3D printing has enabled industries to create rapid prototypes and “small, relatively costly components using plastics and metal powders” (Matulka). As “the price of desktop 3D printers continues to drop, some innovators are experimenting with different materials like chocolate and other food items, wax, ceramics and biomaterial similar to human cells” (Matulka).

Looking to the Future

3D printing has provided humanity with many new- and sometimes unique- opportunities, and these opportunities will continue to grow. As “the prices drop and the technology becomes faster and more precise, 3D printing is poised to change the way companies and consumers think about manufacturing — much in the same way the first computers led to the rapid access to knowledge that we now take for granted” (Matulka). Specifically, by 2029, Fortune Business Insights states that the market for 3D printing is projected to grow to a value of $84 billion. This means that we “are bound to interact with [many more] products — and even homes and buildings — made with 3D printing” (Daley).

Resources & Further Reading

3D Systems. “Our Story.” 3D Systems, 3D Systems, Inc., 24 Sept. 2021, www.3dsystems.com/our-story.

Daley, Sam. “How Does 3D Printing Work?” Edited by Jessica Powers, 3D Printing: What It Is, How It Works and Examples | Built In, Built In, 28 July 2022, builtin.com/3d-printing.

Fortune Business Insights. “With 24.3% CAGR, 3D Printing Market Size Worth USD 83.90 Billion in 2029.” GlobeNewswire News Room, 19 Apr. 2022, www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/04/19/2424496/0/en/With-24-3-CAGR-3D-Printing-Market-Size-Worth-USD-83-90-Billion-in-2029.html.

Matulka, Rebecca. “How 3D Printers Work.” Energy.Gov, United States Government, 19 June 2014, www.energy.gov/articles/how-3d-printers-work.

Stratasys. “Stereolithography Technology | Stratasys.” Www.stratasys.com, Stratasys, www.stratasys.com/en/guide-to-3d-printing/technologies-and-materials/stereolithography-technology/.