Editor:
The scientific breakthrough of 2013 and of the last few years will continue to be the 3-D printer that makes printable objects.
I'm sitting here looking at objects that were "printed," made into physical things as easily as a printer makes a copy or prints a photo. This is not science fiction.
How about a lamp printed in nylon plastic; a bracelet printed in stainless steel; a variety of coffee cups printed in ceramic. 3-D desktop printers will create toys, household staples, replacement parts, everyday objects.
Look at any object around you — it can and will be manufactured from a desktop 3-D printer.
How are the products manufactured? A design is filed in the 3-D printer which then proceeds to lay down layer after layer of desired material on the design until the physical object is produced. Very simple really. This is the beginning of a new technological revolution where physical products are produced, as if by magic, right before your eyes.
Ron Lowe
Santa Monica
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 25, 2013. Read the original PDF.