The Additive Manufacturing Revolution
Polymer high resolution 3D print created with 3D Systems' InVision HR 3-D printer.
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a panel on additive manufacturing at Hatch, a multidisciplinary design conference in Asheville, North Carolina. The panel was moderated by Elite Kedan, architect and adjunctpProfessor at Florida International University, and participants included Douglas Hecker, professor at Clemson University, and Rajeev Kulkarni, head of global engineering and R&D for 3D Systems.
The American Society of Testing and Materials defines additive manufacturing as “the process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining.” In the architecture field, additive manufacturing is typically referred to as 3D printing, since the most common methods utilize a device that functions like the head of an ink jet printer.
Kuklarni, who gave an introductory lecture, is particularly bullish about the technology. He described the rapid growth of additive manufacturing in healthcare, education, industrial design, architecture, and other industries. He concluded with the bold prediction that base model 3D printers will be offered for $500 by next Christmas—low enough for many families to purchase one for the home. In the conversation that followed, we discussed the future implications for architecture, such as 3D-printed buildings, changes in material delivery systems, and the legal implications of architectural components printed directly from CAD models. I suggested that because architecture is conceptually an additive process, additive manufacturing is an appropriate fit—in contrast with the predominantly subtractive processes by which materials have been made since the industrial revolution.