Research Freewrite

 Research Freewrite

    3D printers hold an alluring promise at first glance – they allow one to take almost any computer model and make a real life object from it. This concept is something that many have strove to achieve, yet 3D printers aren't ground-breakingly new. That isn't to say that they're old, indeed, relatively speaking, they're a fairly new technology. However, in their current state, 3D printers are limited in several ways: in the scale that they can print, the material they can print, and their speed. All of these, however, are setbacks that are being actively researched so that they can be overcome. In the future, 3D printers may cause drastic changes to both ordinary people and businesses. This is my main hypothesis, and I hope to be able to research just what kind of changes they might bring about, along with their current uses.

    To investigate this topic, I hope to use recent scientific papers on the technology and operation of 3D printers, conjectures on changes we might see in the future, and the opinions of organizations and people that use the technology today. Additionally, I am interested in the standpoint of hobbyists that use 3D printers, and how the 'every day man' acquires the technology. To do this, I will need to investigate and look into communities online that focus on 3D printers, and also scout out businesses that sell the equipment. I have already found several articles about the hobbyist use of 3D printers, and one scientific paper on the subject of 3D printing.

    I think the hardest part of this assignment, in terms of research, will be uncovering the professional opinion of businesses that use the technology. I am not very good at cold-calling companies, and I'm unsure of just how interested they will be in my topic. However, I think if I present things well enough, this will be less of an issue.