3D Printing, by Christopher Barnatt

This book happens to be the second edition of what aspires to be a classic work in discussing the rising technology of 3D printing. While 3D printing has yet to cause the sort of revolution that has been predicted and expected for it, this book gives some solid reasons why the hype is warranted, to a high degree, and at least some of the ways in which 3D printing is likely to make an influence on how it is that products are made in the future even if this is not necessarily recognized quickly by mainstream audiences. Speaking personally, if I have never engaged in 3D printing myself, I do know people who have a 3D printer and am aware of at least some of the useful features in this technology that, at least at present, show it to be in the first phase of technology where the technology increases the freedom of those people who adopt it. What it will look like in the second phase where it becomes–like every other technology eventually–a means for social control on the part of large companies and government authorities, is not something that this book discusses in detail, though there are hints that many companies are seeking proprietary means of printing that make the technology less flexible, and intellectual property concerns are likely to be an issue for the technology in the future as well.

At about 250 pages, this is a solid work as far as discussing the basics of 3D technology as well as the companies involved in the space in a technical way. Given that this work was written a bit less than a decade ago, it would be curious to know if sales and corporate valuations have increased or not, so some of the information included here may be out of date. After an acknowledgements section and a preface, the book consists of 8 chapters. The book begins with a discussion of 3D printing as the next revolution (1) in manufacturing, pointing out some of the key potential uses of the technology as well as the benefits of additive as opposed to subtractive manufacturing, which is a key aspect of the appeal of 3D printing on the larger scale. The author then talks about 3D printing technologies (2), discussing the fundamental ways in which 3D printing works, depending on the specific techniques that are used. The author then turns his attention to the corporate situation of the 3D printing industry, including both the manufacturers as well as those involved on the software side and other aspects of the business (3). The author spends some time talking about direct digital manufacturing (4) including its potential with cars, houses, consumer goods, and medical uses. A chapter follows on personal fabrication (5), which allows the author to discuss the popular use of 3D printing by ordinary people for their own projects and the maker culture that has risen up around the technology already. A chapter on bioprinting (6) discusses the potential uses of 3D printing regarding the creation of such important products as organ replacements, dental implants, and prosthetics that may even revolutionize how surgery is done and how quickly people heal from it. The author places 3D printing in a larger context that seeks to provide a realistic picture of what the technology needs in order to prosper and how it affects a wide variety of other industries ranging from logistics to manufacturing (7). The book’s last chapter then discusses whether or not 3D printing will lead to a brave new world of localism to replace the mass production that has reigned for the last 250 years or so (8). The book ends with a glossary, a 3D printing directory, suggestions for further reading, and an index.

While I found the book to be excellent, the mood that the book evoked in me is a complicated one. In general, I celebrate the increased freedom that 3D printing allows, and even if staring for hours at a machine creating items out of plastic or other materials (including wood, metal, concrete, chocolate, paper, and even some types of fabric) is not very appealing, the technology itself clearly has a lot of potential uses. Some of the author’s conclusions were quite disturbing though, including the thought that the technology would be well-suited for creepy cosmetic surgeries where people reprint young faces of their own to deny the aging process. The author focuses on 3D printing as a means of reducing the use of raw materials and providing benefits for environmental sustainability, and if 3D printing manages to help people to avoid the austerity that is threatened by our emerging corrupt environmental protection racket, it can be seen as a good thing, at least for now. One wonders, though, whether enough people will adopt the technology or find some access to it in order to avoid the negative effects of austerity as consumer product chains are threatened through government sabotage and corporate incompetence. As I am pessimistic about such matters, the book left me with far less hope than concern.