Things have come a long way from printing 2D, and whilst paper and ink cartridges still have their place – 3D is where it’s at. The world is now about to change beyond all recognition. That is a bit of a sweeping statement, isn’t it? However, if we look at the list of some of the top objects printed out on 3D printers you will see how this new technology could change the world as we know it.
10. Tea Cups
Ok, so a tea cup isn’t exactly the most exciting or life changing object in the world. However, this does start to get us used to the idea of printing off customised objects at home, whether they are things you sip tea out of, plates you eat off of, or some of the weirder stuff we will see later on in the list.
9. A Chess Set
The great thing about this 3D printed chess set is that you can look inside the rook and see how incredibly detailed it is, as the spiral staircase winds its way down. This level of detail helps us understand how these printers could be of use to in so many ways.
8. A Guitar
There have been a few different models of guitar printed off using 3D printers and they look amazing, if rather unorthodox. The fact that they are also said to sound great adds to their appeal, of course.
7. Tom Hanks
You didn’t know you wanted to print off Tom Hanks, did you? Well, now you can. Or at least you can once you get a 3D printer. In fact, you can print off a bust of anyone, really. It’s a bit spooky when you think about it in that way but it sounds like good fun. Unlike some other 3D objects which are printed using acrylic, this was done with paper on a MCor machine.
6. A Shoe with Lights on it
The Making of Onitsuka Electric Tiger Shoe
Plenty of shoes and clothes have been printed out using 3D printers, including bikinis, hats and all sorts of other stuff. However, this lit up shoe which was used in an Onitsuka Tiger advert takes the biscuit so far.
5. A Key
A 3D printed key might not sound all that exciting but just think about the consequences for a second. With just a 3D printer you would have access to any locked doors and safes you come across. A security consultant in Germany did a trial run of this and could print off a key to open a set of handcuffs, while someone else named Nirav Patel claimed to have printed of his own front door key.
4. A Human Body Part
“One day it will be possible to 3D-print a human liver”
Things are going to get really creepy right about now. There has been a human amount of medical research put into the field of 3D printing and the result is that we will soon be able to print off body parts and human organs. Researchers around the world are currently working to achieving this, although the picture we use here isn’t something which has ever been printed. Yet.
3. A Gun that Really Works
Soon we will be able to print, gulp, working guns. Or maybe not. There is a huge amount of controversy over the pioneering Defcad site. Finding out what happens with the Defcad site will be one of the most crucial elements in the early history of 3D home printing. Currently the State Department has already forced Defcad to Remove 3D-Printable Gun Files from their website so no one has access to download them.
2. Your Unborn Child
We are into the really scary stuff now. In Japan you can go to a specialist medical centre, get a scan of the foetus growing inside you and get it printed off. In a bizarre twist, you can even order a miniature foetus to hang off your phone, because that wouldn’t be gross at all.
1. You
Human Cloning in Japan
Finally, maybe you would like to print yourself off. At the moment, the best way of doing this is either in a Japanese 3D printing booth or with Disney. In both cases you get your face 3D scanned and then a model printed out. With the Disney approach you even get your head put onto the body of a Star Wars stormtrooper.
Need Even More 3D Printing Goodness? Check this out!
50+ Best 3D Printing Creations
Have you seen quirky 3D printing yourself somewhere? Share your thoughts on the comment section! Thanks for reading!