3D printers pop up on campus

3D printing is an advanced technology that might not appear regularly in U.S. homes until 2040, according to an infographic designed by Neo Mammalian Studios. However, these printers are already being used on and around Syracuse University.

Anthony Rotolo, a social media professor at Syracuse University, and Isaac Budmen, an artist and 2012 SU graduate, combined their knowledge of technology to write “The Book on 3D Printing,” which was released at the end of August.

Budmen said he and Rotolo decided to write the book to help people understand what 3D printing is and what it’s capable of producing, what the mechanics behind the printer’s functions are and what 3D printing means for the future. He said this book is especially important because there aren’t many publications on the topic, and those that exist are written in very technical terms.

“What Anthony and I wanted to do was to write a book that was comfortable for people like my mother to pick up off a bookshelf and say, ‘Hey, I saw this on the news. This looks like something I could take home and read,’” Budmen said.

The book is currently sold exclusively on Amazon, though Budmen said the SU Bookstore might start carrying copies in the near future.

Rotolo shows the 3D printer material that is used. (Photo: Taylor Baucom)

Budmen said the first section of the book focuses on how the printer actually works. He explained that 3D printing is basically a way of getting a digital file into the real world as a physical object. The user designs an object on the computer by using a 3D modeling program and then downloads the object to the printer. The printer then prints out the object by squeezing tiny layers of plastic on top of each other in an additive process.

“I like to call 3D printers glorified hot glue guns,” Budmen said. “If you’ve ever played with a hot glue gun, you can draw a line across a piece of paper, and then you can draw across that line of hot glue again, and then you do it again and eventually you have this wall of hot glue. That’s how 3D printers work.”

John Mangicaro, an electronics technician at SU, uses a website called Tinkercad to build objects to print on his 3D printer.

“It’s just taking blocks of objects and setting them down. If you want to make a coffee cup, you grab a cylinder and then you taper it,” he said. “Tinkercad grabs objects and shapes them, and then you can download them right to the printer.”

Budmen said the most popular type of 3D printer used by hobbyists is a plastic filament printer, which can create pretty much anything that’s made of plastic. He said some of the most popular objects that people make are iPhone cases and other electronic accessories. He said he just printed out an invention himself: a faucet extender so little kids don’t have to reach all the way over the counter to wash their hands.

3D printer in Slocum Hall produces a red braclet. (Photo: Taylor Baucom)

“Anyone who wanted to invent something in the past had to go through these really long bureaucratic chains of trying to become an inventor or product designer. And that’s all changed now. All they need to do is sit down at their computer,” he said. “They can spend 15 minutes modeling it up, and then 15 minutes later - they have it in their hands.”
Budmen said the book also covers several other types of 3D printers, such as those that use resin to create objects. He said these printers are capable of printing more complex objects – even human body parts.
J.D. Ross, director of communications at the School of Information Studies, said he recently discovered that 3D printers were capable of creating objects like this.

“I found out that there’s a researcher down at Cornell who is actually printing human tissue, so, for example, an ear,” he said. “They can print an ear to help graft an ear onto somebody who has lost one. There are all sorts of advancements and discoveries being made in 3D printing these days.”

“The Book on 3D Printing” covers the future of 3D printing, and Budmen said that 3D printers are indeed becoming more popular, even with their steep price tag of approximately $3,000.

Black mechanic heart objects were printed individually and then assembled together. (Photo:Taylor Baucom)

He said while there were only a few hundred available worldwide four years ago, there are around 30,000 available today, according to his research. He estimates that by the end of 2016, there will be approximately 100,000 3D printers in existence, “which is still a pretty small number when you look at the iPhone,” he said.
The printers are becoming more accessible to the public as well. There are already several 3D printers at SU, including those in Slocum Hall and at the Warehouse.

Mangicaro is currently working to create a “maker space” in the Kimmel Computer Lab where students will be able to use 3D printers, as well as other machines like laser engravers and vinyl cutters.
“At least for now, people have computer labs and everyone’s just about got a computer in their hands with their smartphones, but those might be going away and these (printers) are something new that you could offer people. And that’s kind of exciting,” he said.
Budmen said he believes 3D printing will eventually cause an industrial revolution in everyone’s homes.
“The coolest thing about 3D printing is the power of production is in everyone’s hands – and that’s incredible,” he said.