3D Printing, A New Kind of Innovation

3D printing is a process that creates a three-dimensional product from a model designed on a computer. It is also called additive manufacturing, because material is added to the object layer by layer. People create and print many types of things using 3D printing; toys, art, and recently, face shields. Although it seems like a new concept, the first 3D printer came about in Japan in 1986. The most commonly used method of 3D printing is called Fused Deposition Modeling, which was invented in 1989. So, if these 3D printers were invented thirty years ago, why do they seem like such new technological innovations? Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations Theory has reasoning behind that.

https://all3dp.com/2/what-is-a-3d-printing-machine/

The Diffusion of Innovations Theory, developed by Everett Rogers in 1962, explains the reasoning behind new ideas and technological spread, such as how, why, and the rate they spread. According to the theory, there are four main things that influence the spread, the innovation, communication channels, time, and a social system. Looking at these four elements, we could possibly explain the timeline of the 3D printer and its increasing popularity. In the 80's, 3D printing was just being developed and not very common. It was a good idea, but who had the need for a 3D printer, or needed to print things in 3D, not only that, but who could afford a luxury such as that? The first 3D printer used a technology called stereolithography. A machine with such capabilities could cost $100,000 or more. As for communication, in 1989, we did not have the cell phones we have today, where we could search things in a matter of seconds, order things online, research it, or even hear about it. Many people might not have heard about it in the first place, since there are not the platforms that there are today. Even if it was affordable, communication about this technology just wasn't available. Time plays a big part in innovation theory, especially in the case of 3D printing. Just in the last thirty years, there has been quite a few different types of 3D printing, including, but not limited to: Stereolithography, Digital Light Processing, Fused Deposition Modeling, Selective Laser Sintering, Selective Laser Melting, etc. These different forms were not thought of over night, They required time for the innovators to develop and trial-and-error all of these different methods. Even now, there is more than one method that is used. Not only is the time of development at play, the time for these ideas to be adopted takes time. An invention or innovation is not created on Day 1, and being sold out in stores on Day 2. It takes a lot of time for the idea to be adopted and adapted. Lastly, there is the social system aspect. This could tie in to communication and time. The things we have available to us, such as Google, Amazon, and other sites and engines we use to search for products and ideas, were not accessible to us before. But now that we have the ability to see what these printers can do, how they can benefit us, that they are affordable, or even that we can just hear about them, is due to social systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqQAjkZOBeY

I think 3D printing is a great and overlooked innovation. I asked some people myself how new they though the invention was, and they all told me sometime within the last 10 years. Especially with the pandemic that has come about in the last several weeks and months, I think we have seen how beneficial 3D printing can be. Yes, it can print toys, and silly little things that can hold up your phone while you watch videos, I have seen many things about 3D printing face shields for healthcare workers due to the increase in demand and the very low supply. Innovations may take time, but they sure can be beneficial, whether it is 10 months after they are introduced, or 10 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations#Elements
https://3dinsider.com/3d-printer-types/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
https://www.pcmag.com/news/3d-printing-what-you-need-to-know