For the past few days I have been exploring and learning more about 3D printing and the capabilities of this technology. I understand that this technology is a well emerging technology and there is a huge scope available for this but the only big concern that I have with this technology is the usage of plastics. Printing 3D objects is a very good thing or an innovative thing but doing that with plastics is again the most harmful thing because we already don't know how to dispose the plastics that we have produced so far in the course of several years.
Eco friendly printing
I have read that there are also other eco friendly printing options available but they are either costly or they are not fully available in the market at an affordable cost. Plastic filaments are easier and better in many ways. Now that we have so many alternatives for everything, we should consider picking alternative materials that are eco friendly so that we can reduce too much of disposal of the plastic waste into this environments. Some people might argue saying that this may not be the only reason why people are using plastic objects but it will be wise to find cheaper alternatives especially for emerging technology.
Cheaper but risky
The risky part in this 3D printing is not the printing itself but the amount of plastics that we would be creating. There are different types of filaments available in the market and it is cheaper to get a plastic filament and get the task done. Today the 3D printers are all available for a highly affordable price. In the past these technologies were available only in the foreign countries but they are now available for even a cheaper price in many brands. Based on our needs, a perfect 3D printer can be selected. It will be nice if there are affordable 3D printers are created in the future so that we don't have to pollute the environment further will increased plastics.
Usually plastic is my only concern with 3D printing and otherwise the technology is excellent and eveyone should slowly transition to this technology in one way or the other. The reason is because today even houses are being 3D printed with huge printing machines. Currently we are able to print some fancy items using the 3D printers at home.
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oh yea, as if we don't have enough plastic around... they should develop alternatives to plastics and such, something more eco friendly and of course not too expensive
You are absolutely right, we can not keep ignoring the plastic problem just because the tech is exciting. I hope the companies start taking this issue seriously.
Excellent article. I own a 3D printer. 3D printing is a promising and revolutionary technology, but its sustainable future will depend on the ability to reduce or eliminate the use of plastic as a base material. The impact of plastic is a topical issue. I've seen that there are already projects to recycle objects made with PLA (Polylactic Acid) filament. !WINE
I have not really looked into the future of 3D printing. Nevertheless, when linking it with plastics I can say for sure, it will create pollution. Let's just up that upcoming tech continually replaces it.
For 3D printing, one option would be to use more degradable material for objects that do not need to be durable over time and do not require high rigidity. However, for objects or parts that need to be hard, plastic or a plastic-metal combination would be used, in the absence of a better material.
There are actually so much of risks involved but it is looking like nobody is really paying attention to it as it should be actually
I really agree, 3D printing is awesome but the plastic waste issue can’t be ignored at all. We really need more affordable eco friendly materials before it turns into another environmental problem, we already have enough problems
Do you have any specific concerns about plastic?
Many plastics used in home 3d printing biodegrade in sunlight. Despite their prevalence, plastics have not yet been shown to be toxic.
Not to mention, you can make your own 3d printer filament with recycled plastic.
Plastic is one of the most recyclable, harmless things that humans have created. I don't understand the ire against it.
Hopefully, as technology advances, affordable and green alternatives will become more widely available, allowing us to enjoy the benefits of 3D printing responsibly.
3D printing is undoubtedly a revolutionary technology but the risks of using plastic are very serious. We are already burdened with the burden of plastic waste so it is the demand of the hour to focus on using eco-friendly alternatives in this technology. Thank you very much for highlighting such an important issue.