The Long Island real estate market has a first-of-its-kind listing: a house developed from 3D printing. As one of the largest 3D-printed structures, the 1900 square foot home took about eight days to create, using less than $6,000 in materials. The creators say that the home (listed at $299,000) will have longevity too, with strength to last into the next century.
What is 3D Printing?
Created by Charles W. Hull in the 1980s, 3D printing is a process that can create three-dimensional objects through a layering or stacking method. The printing process uses computer-aided design (CAD) software, and it has opened doors to an innovative way of creation. The consumer market now has a selection of 3D-printed products, such as cell phone cases, customizable household items, soles for shoes, and, for the healthcare industry, 3D printing can even create replicas of human body parts and organs.
The newest 3D-printed home on the market signifies that the possibilities for 3D printing continue to grow, especially since the process is an attractive incentive: the printing method is cost-efficient, with less waste consumed in the process. To provide a peek into the future, the 3D Printing Industry in 2020 published a roundup of opinions from 100 experts, who revealed that they predict 3D printing will become more of an integral part of standard manufacturing processes.
Standards Support the Growth of 3D Printing Possibilities
A number of standards support the evolution of the 3D printing industry. Last year, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced the publication of ISO/ASTM 52915, Specification for additive manufacturing file format (AMF) Version 1.2. As ISO reports, while the 3D printing encoding process has relied on stereolithography file format, or STL, the new standard is intended to replace STL with the Additive Manufacturing File Format (AMF). The standard was developed jointly by two technical committees dealing with additive manufacturing: ASTM International Committee F42 and ISO TC 261. ASTM also administers the ANSI-accredited U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO TC 261. ANSI is the U.S. member body to ISO.
3D Printing Supports Healthcare in the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, 3D printing and additive manufacturing has played a role in being the first line of defense for healthcare workers and the public alike.
And, as ANSI highlights on its COVID-19 news coverage, standards organizations have opened access to standards and resources that support the pandemic response—including medical device/equipment and 3D printing relevant standards.
ANSI's Work in Additive Manufacturing Continues
Additive manufacturing (AM) – a term applied to 3D printing industrial processes – can mass-produce products for a number of fields, including aerospace, defense, and medical, among others.
The America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), in its fifth year, is a cross-sector coordinating body whose objective is to accelerate the development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications consistent with stakeholder needs to facilitate the growth of the additive manufacturing industry. The AMSC does not develop standards or specifications, but it helps drive coordinated standards development activity.
In 2018, the collaborative published its Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 2.0) which identifies existing standards and specifications, as well as those in development, assesses gaps, and makes recommendations for priority areas where there is a perceived need for additional standardization. The AMSC is tracking work by standards developers to address the needs identified in the roadmap.
Access more standards that support additive manufacturing via ANSI.