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Most modern technologies complement each other nicely. For example, advanced analytics and AI can be used collectively to achieve some amazing things, like powering driverless vehicle systems. Big data and machine learning can be used collaboratively to build predictive models, allowing businesses and decision-makers to react and plan for future events.
It should come as no surprise, then, that big data and 3D printing have a symbiotic nature as well. The real question is not “if” but rather “how” they will influence each other. After all, most 3D prints come from a digital blueprint, which is essentially data. Here are some of the ways in which big data and 3D printing influence one another:
On-Demand and Personalized Manufacturing
One of the things 3D printing has accomplished is to transform the modern manufacturingmarket to make it more accessible and consumer-friendly. There are many reasons for this.
First, 3D printing offers localized additive manufacturing, which means teams can create and develop prototypes or concepts much faster. The technology can also be augmented to work with a variety of materials, from plastic and fabric to wood and concrete.
Additionally, the manufacturing process itself is both simplified and sped up considerably. One only needs the proper digital blueprint — which is fed into the printer(s) — to develop the end product.
When combined with big data, this could mean businesses and manufacturers alike can push their development processes much closer to the consumer. Imagine ordering a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes, for instance, and customizing everything from the look and color to the type of fabric used, and then receiving the customized product in mere hours.
Big data can be used to truly visualize and understand what people want, allowing the businesses behind the technology to better deliver services and products. Amazon has already jumped on this opportunity to deliver their customers a “create your own” 3D printing store.
Physical Data Visualizations
Data-oriented operations, from marketing to business intelligence, rely on complex visualizations that make datasets more readable but also help break down various trends, activities and events. Normally, these visualizations come in the form of digital images and content like graphs, pie charts and sometimes even lists. But 3D printing can inject a whole new dimension into this process by allowing for physical visualizations.
Imagine taking conceptual and digital content and enhancing it through physical demonstrations. One team of MIT researchers, for example, built a mockup model of their schools’ campus using 3D printers. Then, they used it as a foundation to stream various data points, creating a physical, geospatial model with live event elements.
This application could be used across dozens of industries, including in development, architecture, retail and even entertainment.
Understanding the Technology
While 3D printing has exploded beyond its initial niche and hobbyist uses, there’s still so much potential to be realized. We’re only just starting to scratch the surface in terms of what it can be used for, and which materials can be fed into a 3D printer.
Big data can help answer a lot of those questions about when, where and how the technology can be used. By studying various potential applications and combining said data with that of current uses, we can better understand the benefits, costs and requirements needed to reach certain milestones.
For example, 3D printers create items using a process called extrusion, wherein the filament, or material, is fed through the hot end of a system onto a build plate. With Bowden tubing and its related assembly method, the hot end of the filament press and the extruder are not attached, which opens up many new possibilities. It changes various characteristics of the conventional printing process and essentially allows for higher accuracy and faster printing speeds. It also opens up the system to work with a variety of new materials.
Where does big data fit in? It’s what helps us understand and discover these kinds of changes, from big to small.
More Efficient Components
There’s also the opposite to consider, like how 3D printing can benefit technologies such as big data and the related systems. Electronics and circuit boards manufactured with 3D printing have become a real possibility thanks to recent advancements, in terms of both the systems and materials used.
An electrically conductive filament can be used to embed circuits inside various boards as they are printed. This helps cut down on the costs of developing such components and reduces the resources used. Circuit boards generally require rare elements for increased conductivity, but 3D printing can change that entirely, and also allows for new opportunities, such as allowing smaller businesses and manufacturers to print their own custom components.
3D Printing and Big Data Are Made for Each Other
Having explored all of these applications, it seems silly now to look at the two technologies as being totally separate. They can be used together to do some pretty amazing things, and it’s quite obvious they have complementary roles.
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