This course is a deep-dive in our “Future Technologies” series, where we explore the basics behind the buzzwords to properly understand the impact of technological developments on society. Will you soon be able to print your own clothes? Your own food? Your own gun? This course dives into the possibilities of Digital Manufacturing, popularly known as 3D printing.
Unit 1: Breaking Down 3D Printing
Unit 2: 3D Printing & Digital Manufacturing: Thürmer Tools Case Study
Unit 3: How Is 3D Printing Transforming the Manufacturing Industry?
Unit 4: New Applications: 3D Bioprinting, 3D-Printed House And 3D-Printed Food
Unit 5: Looking Ahead: The Ethics of 3D Printing
The first unit provides an overview of the 3D printing process from blueprint to object, and everything in between. Throughout the rest of the units, you will be taken on the journey from the traditional to the digital manufacturing industry with CEO Erik Thürmer and R&D Engineer Adam Kazmierczak from Thürmer Tools. Unit 4 provides examples of other types of production that are already adopting 3D printing technologies within the medical and culinary industry. The final unit raises important questions regarding the changes of this emerging technology, and how it is affecting people at an individual and societal level. Who controls the creation, sharing and selling of 3D printing blueprints? What happens when blueprints for guns come into the equation, or when 3D printing parts for vehicles is replacing people’s jobs? That's why we have Aarhus University researcher Jessica Sorensen explaining important considerations and impact of ethics & 3D printing.
