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ABSTRACT
In this paper, we analyse the evolution of 3D printing technology, its applications and numerous social, economic, geopolitical, security and environmental consequences. We compare some of the most significant existing 3D printing solutions, taking into account the acquisition price, the technical specifications, their main advantages and limitations. Justas it happened in the past decades with the personal computers and Internet, the impact of 3-D printing will gradually increase in the future, leading to significant transformations, redefining our everyday life, economy and society.
Keywords: 3-D printing technology, costs, impact.
1. INTRODUCTION
In 1981, Hideo Kodama of the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute (Nagoya, Japan) has studied and published for the first time the manufacturing of a printed solid model, the starting point of the "additive manufacturing", "rapid prototyping" or "3D printing technology" [1]. In the next decades, this technology has been substantially improved and has evolved into a useful tool for researchers, manufacturers, designers, engineers and scientists.
As the term suggests, "additive manufacturing" is based on creating materials and objects, starting from a digital model, using an additive process of layering, in a sequential manner. Most of the traditional manufacturing processes are based on subtractive techniques: starting from an object having an initial shape, the material is removed (cut, drilled) until the desired shape is obtained. Unlike the above-mentioned technique, the 3D printing is based on adding successive material layers in order to obtain the desired shape.
Since 1984, when the first 3D printer was designed and realized by Charles W. Hull from 3D Systems Corp. [2], the technology has evolved and these machines have become more and more useful, while their price points lowered, thus becoming more affordable. Nowadays, rapid prototyping has a wide range of applications in various fields of human activity: research, engineering, medical industry, military, construction, architecture, fashion, education, computer industry and many others.
The 3D printing technology consists of three main phases - the modelling, the printing and the finishing of the product:
* In the modelling phase, in order to obtain the printing model, the machine uses virtual blueprints of the object and processes them in a series of thin cross-sections that are being used successively. The virtual model is identical to the physical one.
* In...