The Pros And Cons Of 3D Printing

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Up until a few years ago, one may not have even heard of 3D printing and its capabilities. It has been around awhile, but has just recently made a name for itself. Since the business boomed, the possibilities have seemed almost endless. Are you interested in printing some custom shoes or printing a new ear after damage was done? 3D printing has shown that it can be a major help and lifesaver in the medical field, to fixing part in orbit around the moon, and even providing cheap and quick housing in some parts of the world. Even though there are many positive outcomes with this new technology, there may also be some negative ones as well. The convenience of 3D printing is one of the upsides to this groundbreaking technology.

In the 1980’s, …show more content…

When something new comes along, we often rejoice in how it will make our lives easier or better. However, with 3 D printing, will there be serious consequences that we will have to live with? If in 50 years, all vehicles are 3D printed by machines, there would be major job losses in our economy. While there would be some transitions in positions, the majority of jobs would be replaced by robots. There may also be the same issue that arose when electric cars were becoming a popular option; the car maintenance industry would suffer tremendously because there would be few parts to replace and keep up maintenance on.

There also have been many safety issues with 3D printing. There is now software available to print firearms from your home, ultimately putting a deadly weapon in whosevers hands. There are many ethical questions brought up by this option with the 3D printer (Cohen, D., Sargeant, M., & Somers, K. (2014). 3-D printing takes shape.McKinsey Quarterly, Jan). While there are problems such as this, there is also the other end of the spectrum. 3D printing has allowed us to create cheap prosthetic limbs custom made for their owners; Or a new fashion statement on the red carpet. 50 years ago, these uses would have been ideas from a science fiction novel (Lipson, H., & Kurman, M. (2013). Everything is becoming science fiction. In Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. John Wiley and

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