The Digital Making Seminar was the last thing I expected to take this semester. I thought my last four months here would be absorbing semi-new knowledge about my major and minor from a traditional educational system. How I found myself picking this class is a blur to me. 3D printing is a technology I have seen on the internet in videos and articles since 2010, and from last week’s class, knowing that this technology has been around for three decades fascinated me. I honestly thought, prior to this that the 3D printing technology would be something of a consumer-based fad that would die out in the next five to ten years. John Hornick’s lecture opened my eyes to the facets of this technology and how versatile its applications are. Prosthetics, musical instruments, even food products are either being made and the industries are on the verge of partaking in the transition towards industrial 3D printing. I’ve learned from John’s lecture how beneficial 3D printing can be for many industries, and how potentially disruptive this tech can be for modern industry and society, handing the power of production from producers and manufacturers to consumers. I’m giddy with my eyes wide in wonder at how my perspective and skills will transform as I continue with the Digital Making Seminar as the semester progresses.
A few of the things I found as I searched for interesting uses of 3D printing are below.
One of the most interesting and, in my opinion, unconventional uses I’ve found is how musical instruments have been a focus in 3d printing. First, a 3d printed electric violin, and a piezoelectric violin. The latter was what fascinated me more than anything else because of how the creaters of these piezoelectric instruments, Monad Studio,are essentially using properties of different materials to modify how musical instruments work.
While searching for articles, I discovered this. Being able to 3d print a layout of dark matter in our galaxy, something that is still unobservable for us humans, blew my mind.
The applications of 3d printing are endless, and I look forward eagerly to see how this revolutionizes the world.
Wow, do you think they can 3d print guitar strings? I’m always breaking mine!
The 3D printed violin stuff is cool! All 3D printed violins are actually piezoelectric violins, because they don’t have the usual violin body structure that allows sound to resonate. Only a very quiet sound can be generated on a 3D printed violin, so the piezoelectric pickup is required to then amplify that sound. Wanna make one of these?