It may not have looked like much from the outside: a few clicks on a computer screen, the whir of a 3D printer and a few bubbles solidifying in a plastic dish filled with liquid.
But this — at precisely 7:27 pm on April 27, 2018 — was the first time in the world that anyone had successfully printed a 3D object using sound waves.
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Date: January 19th, 2023
Link (includes a 1 minute video): https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/3d-printing-sound-waves-concordia-1.6718402
Discussion
- In my Introduction to MIS class I introduce 3D printing as part of the Future of Work. We discuss how 3D printing can and will transform how things get delivered.
In class I walk through a simple example of planning a party using Walmart (I have one student be the “party planner” and other be the one for whom the party is planned). During the discussion I note how few choices we have and how inefficient things are, such as having to buy more plastic forks than there are people at the party.
I then jump to how much better this would be if Walmart has 3D printers, and how customized we could be, and how Walmart could charge more (for the customization – “Happy 21st David” printed on the plates in my favorite color!) and how customers would prefer to pay more if they get better. - Discuss potential applications of sound 3D printing, particularly focusing on how you can print THROUGH things (such as skin).
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