In the last two decades, having a printer at home was a complete revolution. The possibility of being able to make a document from home and put it on paper was an event comparable to the appearance of typewriters.
But if that were the goal of a short race, the world still has an entire marathon left to run. In parallel, for several decades a whole labyrinth of possibilities has been developing to take advantage of a technology that is just beginning to show what it is capable of achieving.
When a machine is turned on, with a digital model or design, various materials come into action, they are added in the most precise way, layer by layer, to build a three-dimensional object. This is how it works 3D printing.
Shoes, glasses, toys can come from there. This is how even industrial prototypes, houses and bridges have been built. The immensity of possibilities is left to the discretion of creativity and of course to the capabilities of the machine.
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There are prototypes for any type of industry. In Colombia, experiences such as that of Fabrilab are well-known, which manufactures prosthetic hands, arms, legs or products for people with visual disabilities, a portion of which are donated to low-income children. From the industry, there are cases such as Conconcreto, which developed a 3D concrete printer with Siemens technology to accelerate the time in which social housing is built.
Photo: Prostheses made by Fabrilab, which manufactures prosthetic hands, arms, legs or products for people with visual disabilities.
In USA The debate on the manufacture, marketing and use of firearms has just been revived after the temporary blocking, by order of a federal judge in Seattle, of plans that allow the manufacture of firearms in 3D printers, which stopped an agreement signed in June between the government and the Defense Distributed organization, which sought to sell online weapon mockups that could be made of plastic or metal and would have the same functions as a conventional weapon.
Added to this controversy this week was the lawsuit of eleven states of the North American country against the government of Donald Trump to try to achieve the definitive blocking of designs on the Internet with which weapons can be created through 3D printing.
These situations show an outline of how advanced this technology is and how much it could contribute to a variety of sectors. In Colombia, there are many companies and entrepreneurs that know this and are taking steps towards growth thanks to 3D printing.
Precisely this technology is the basis of the company Undos3D, located in the north of Cali. Since 2013 they offer From there, I design and 3D print both companies and individuals, and in particular, with doctors and medical houses for the development of biomodels for surgical planning.
“We give the client alternatives to get the 3D model they want to print, whether we design it, the same design or it is already available on the Internet to market,” says the manager of Undos3D from the capital of Valle del Cauca.
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According to Galvis, the main opportunities are in the medical sector because little by little more doctors and surgeons have been implementing technology for surgical planning. “It is also very useful for companies that want to see a prototype of the packaging of their next product or for entrepreneurs who want to release a first version of their product,” he adds.
On the other hand, Lissy Rodríguez, director of protolab3d.co, which is in Bogotá, says that There is increasing interest in using this technology. In that company, orders are made from an online form. If you do not have the 3D design, you can quote the modeling and an estimate of the service because a simulation must be carried out in the printing software. This tool gives an approximate time and grams, based on that information the price is defined.
“We handle several types of polymers (plastics), depending on the purpose of the piece, the material is chosen. We have PLA filaments (raw material) which is based on corn and potatoes. Likewise, we have particles of wood, aluminum, bronze, among others. You can make whatever the person wants, the important thing is to see the objective of manufacturing the piece and choose the appropriate material for that”explains Rodríguez.
The orders they receive the most are for prototypes such as piggy banks, glasses, packaging and footwear. Not only do they provide 3D printing services, but they also manufacture their own printers, which has taken them to fairs in the United States to sell them and where they are already exporting.
In short, 3D printing is just about to make a real splash, not only in homes and industries, but also in public policies.
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