Dan Wellers, Digital Futures Lead at SAP “3D Printing will Expand into 4D Printing”

We’re seeing an increased focus by software firms in our teeny tiny industry. Simulation, PLM, CAD, the Digital Twin, Industry 4.0 have some very large and influential firms salivating about that peanut butter and jelly sandwich that is the combination of the digital and manufacturing. If we are to grow digital manufacturing and 3D printing then our soft and hard assets will have to be managed and controlled through software. The more conventionally manufactured parts we replace with 3D printing the more files, settings, and process information will have to be monitored and accessed through software packages. This in part explains Dan Wellers’ interest in 3D printing and enthusiasm around the technology. He leads Digital Futures at SAP Global Marketing where in effect he has to be SAP’s Nostradamus and predict the impacts of technologies such as ours.

What is 4D printing?

Building upon existing 3D printing technology, 4D printing uses dynamic materials that perform differently when they encounter changing conditions such as water, light, heat, or electrical current. These materials—hydrogels, shape memory polymers, carbon fiber, custom textile composites, and more – have properties that enable objects to self-assemble, reshape themselves, or otherwise react to changing events or conditions. It’s called 4D printing because it incorporates what’s often referred to as the fourth dimension: time.

Why is it important?

4D printing can expand what is currently achievable in prototyping, design, manufacturing, and post-production adaptability and usage. Examples include: self-flattening boxes to be used in warehouses and logistics companies; plumbing system pipes capable of changing their diameter in response to flow rate or water demand. 4D printing has opened up entirely new innovations, such as medical implants made of dynamic biomaterials, which are already saving lives.

Because of its self-assembling capability, objects too big to be printed via conventional 3D printers can be compressed for printing and then expand after manufacturing. 4D printing could also be used to eliminate the mundane problem of furniture assembly. In addition, researchers have demonstrated how smart materials used in 4D printing can enable an object to “remember” its shape. That capability could be used to flat-pack a self-assembling shelter that springs into place after a natural disaster, or develop bridges and temporary roads made from materials that expand to heal damage and cracks.

How important will 3D printing be?

3D printing represents the digital transformation of both design and production in the manufacturing industry and will have a profound impact on everything from logistics to extended supply chains to trucking. 3D printing eliminates many of the design and production constraints inherent in traditional manufacturing. Product design can now be optimized for customer need and function, instead of production efficiencies.

Over the last few years, 3D printing has advanced in the way it employs different materials—not only plastic, but also metal, resins, sandstone, wax, and ceramics—increasingly incorporating multiple materials at once. These improvements are paving the way for significant benefits, including cost reductions, streamlined supply chains, faster time to market, increased personalization, optimized resource usage, improved prototyping, and the manufacture of new designs not possible in the past.

Commercial applications continually emerge to power 3D printing of everything from everyday household products to customized medical devices and prosthetics to nearly all the components of a house. 3D printing will expand into 4D printing in the coming years by adding a fourth dimension: time. By using specially engineered materials that perform differently when they encounter changing conditions, 4D printing promises to further shift the shape of manufacturing.

How will people and machines work together in the future?

Artificial intelligence is getting better at solving increasingly complex problems. If we want to retain humanity’s value in an increasingly automated world, we need to start recognizing and nurturing skills that are uniquely human.

To learn more, read “The Human Factor In An AI Future” and “Human Skills for the Digital Future”.

 

Why 3D-Printed Homes Might Be the Future of Architecture

We’ve all heard of 3D printing by now – from prosthetic limbs to car parts, 3D printers are creating a growing number of products, and the value of this market is set to reach $26.5 billion in 2021. But out of the vast benefits this tech offers, 3D-printed homes are perhaps one of the most significant, as they have the potential to solve many problems the architecture and construction industry face today.

They could lead to cost reduction, new designs, less pollution, and personalized objects designed by consumers themselves. 3D-printed homes could be used to shelter homeless people and perhaps even to build a base on Mars. This technology still has to overcome many challenges, though, but it will undoubtedly play a huge part in the future of architecture.

3D printing offers cost savings and personalization

3D printers construct homes by adding layer after layer of a special ‘ink’ that can be made out of a number of materials, such as concrete, fibers, and sand. After that, workers can add windows, electrical wiring, and other necessary components. The startup Apis Cor, for instance, 3D-printed a 37 m2 house in Russia for $10,000, demonstrating the many benefits of this approach. And 3D printers use cement more efficiently than conventional construction methods, helping to reduce its negative environmental impact. Moreover, as machines do most of the work, companies save money on labor.

One example is the world’s first 3D-printed office building in Dubai made by a six-meter-high, 36-meter-long, and 12-meter-wide printer. The project was completed by 17 workers in 17 days and led to cost savings of 50 per cent in labor alone, compared to similar objects built in traditional ways. Aside from this, the Yhnova housing project in France demonstrated that 3D-printed homes could cost consumers 20 per cent less money than similar, non-printed homes.

The US Military 3D Printing Barracks.

3D printing will also allow extreme personalization, since consumers will be able to create the 3D-printed home of their dreams in the future. As Jason Ballard, a co-founder of the 3D printing startup Icon, says, “You could print a house in the shape of a Fibonacci spiral if you wanted to. It’s just as simple as printing a square.”

Ambitious plans and serious challenges

The low cost of 3D-printed homes is critical for organizations such as New Story, a housing NGO, and Icon, which rely on this tech to build affordable homes around the world. Their final goal is to bring the cost of a single house to $4,000 and provide shelter for millions of homeless people. But the European Space Agency and NASA have even more ambitious plans. These organisations are researching ways to 3D print space bases on Mars and the moon, and according to the MIT researcher Steven Keating, such technology could be ready in less than 50 years.

Nonetheless, 3D printing technology has many challenges to overcome and “is still at the beginning of its development,” as noted by Dr. Thieß Petersen from the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation. For instance, there’s the issue of the steep price of some high-end printing machines that can cost several million dollars. And even with such powerful machines, construction companies still aren’t able to build objects like skyscrapers or malls. Finally, outdated building codes and regulations in many countries make it time-consuming for 3D-printed homes to get the necessary permits, while many potential tenants even doubt the durability and safety of these buildings.

It’s easy to see 3D-printed homes as the future of architecture

3D printing technology has the potential to transform large parts of architecture and construction, as it allows companies to experiment with design and build homes in a cheap, fast, and eco-friendly way. 3D printing might one day even allow us to build bases on Mars and the moon, and it could also be used to shelter millions of homeless people across the world who can’t afford to buy their own home. The opportunities are endless, and even with all the challenges this tech faces, it’s expected that the industry will fully embrace 3D-printed homes in the future. :

International keynote speaker, trend watcher and futurist Richard van Hooijdonk offers inspiring lectures on how technology impacts the way we live, work and do business. Over 420,000 people have already attended his renowned inspiration sessions, in the Netherlands as well as abroad. He works together with RTL television and presents the weekly radio program ‘Mindshift’ on BNR news radio. Van Hooijdonk is also a guest lecturer at Nyenrode and Erasmus Universities.