3D Printing: One Step Closer to a Star Trek Future?

3D Printing: One Step Closer to a Star Trek Future?

On the original Star Trek TV series from the 1960s, they had their fictional replicator technology that materialized food, drink and non-edible objects. Well…now 3D printing is turning fiction into fact. There’s even a 3D printer by MakerBot Industries called the Replicator. Okay, we’re not quite at the Star Trek level yet, but the number of objects we can “print” is quickly growing, and the list includes useful things such as human organs, limbs and even synthetic food including pizza. Chefs probably don’t have to worry about their jobs just yet, as some of this 3D-printed food so far is intended for consumption by astronauts in space — where 30 minutes or free for pizza obviously isn’t an option. As well, 3D printing is in its infancy. In the near future, though, you could very well order something online and have it created in front of you from a home or office 3D printer — not unlike the Star Trek replicator.

What Can You Make With 3D Printing?

The range of items already 3D-printed is quite lengthy. Some are toys, puzzles and trinkets, others are much more functional. They include:
• 3D puzzles and toys — including from characters in mobile apps for children.
• Bicycles, trikes and helmets.
• Clothing and accessories: gowns, capes, dresses, bikinis, gloves, hats, headdresses, handbags, shoes (heels, sneakers), shoe insoles, athlete shoe cleats, masks, costume fingernails, jewelry (chains, pendants and abstract 3D shapes), watch frames, eyeglass frames, leather. While some of these items offer questionable comfort in extended wearing, performance artist/model Dita Von Teese wore the first fully-articulated 3D-printed gown. It had 3,000 joints and was made specifically for her, to flow around the curves of her body.
• Fetus replicas, using ultrasound to form the baby’s 3D model equivalent.
• Geometric shapes: These are theoretical shapes that may not occur in nature.
• Musical instruments and related items: guitar, flute, drum set, violin, vinyl records, headphones, custom music boxes.
• Organs: ears, bones and skin, heart. Can already print liver tissue and embryonic stem cells using bioprinters and a “cell gel.”
• Prosthetic limbs, other non-organ body parts, and healthcare-related items: hands, arms, legs, arm and hand casts, partial skull replacement, jaw bones — including a synthetic leg for Dudley the duck, who apparently lost one leg in a fight with a chicken.
• Statuettes and figurines: Besides lifelike selfies and mini models of “sad” Keanu Reeves (actor), one team is using 1/25th scale models of two statues of Buddha, destroyed in Afghanistan by the Taliban. These models will be used to attempt to reconstruct the damaged originals — formerly two of the largest of their kind in the world.
• Synthetic food: chocolate, meat, cheese doodles, veggie patties, breads, and pizza. A NASA-funded project for printed food to feed astronauts in space resulted in pizza.
• Trees: 3D-printed wood using bioprinting technology
• Vehicles: quadcopters (toys), toy cars, concept cars (Honda, Urbee 2), fighter jet parts, drones. The SULSA drone has a top speed of 90 mph and can stay aloft for 30 minutes. It takes 10 min to assemble from printed plastic parts, without screws and other fasteners.
• Weapons: Liberator gun
• X-rated items: dildos, vibrator sleeves.
• Prototypes — full-size or scale — in rubber or plastics, etc., before actual production in the final materials. For example, bicycle chain stay guards and handlebar grips.
• Miscellaneous: guns, hearing aids, rooms, house keys, wheelchair ramps, smartphone cases, crime scenes for use in court, 3d replicas of Hubble Space Telescope images, inflatable flowers and many more.
This is just a small list of objects and items 3D-printed so far, but quite possibly the most interesting at least to tech nerds is the ability for a 3D printer to print a 3D printer. Mind blow? One example is the RepRap 3D printer, which costs $500 – $600. As well, in the near future we could be printing any or all of the following, beyond prototypes.
• Entire houses instead of just parts: University of Southern California has large 3D printer that has the capability to build a 2500 sq ft home in 24 hours.
• Moon bases: The European Space Agency (ESA) is considering the possibilities.
• Windpipes and additional other functioning organs.
• Potentially anything that can be 3D-digitized.

Why Would Anyone Want to Print Meat and Leather?

Modern Meadow has managed to use bio-ink to 3D-print both synthetic meat and leather. Why? Here are some stats they provide which gives their motivation:
• Over 75 sq ft — amount of land needed to make one burger
• Droughts have shrunk cattle herds to a 60-year low
• 18% greenhouse gas emissions are created by livestock
• 70% of the wet weight of leather is from toxic solid wastes
• Up to 20% of leather is wasted during manufacturing
• 70% more meat needed by 2050 to feed the world
• 1/3 of available land is used for livestock production
• Over 270 lbs — amount of meat the average American eats per year
• 50 gallons of water to make one burger
• 7 iPads fully powered take less energy than what’s needed to make one burger
• Over 1000 miles — the distance livestock travels from farm to fridge
As well, if we’re serious about manned Mars missions in the future, being able to print meat, pizza and other foods might be a necessity.

How Does 3D Printing Work?

There are multiple types of 3D printer and the materials used for the actual printing is a factor. However, material states range from powders to viscous fluids to spools of filament to bio-inks and more. While there are three types of 3D printing, all use layering to form objects. One method uses a pool of chemicals and light (UV laser). Another method uses molten “ink” that becomes solid as it is extruded from the print head. In a nutshell, the very generalized process is as follows:
• Use software or 3D scans to design and create a 3D model.
◦ Autodesk offers a series of free software tools for 3D modelling, including “123D” (some desktop, some for smart phones and tablets, some for web browsers) — see 123dapp.com.
◦ Blender.org offers the popular free cross-platform 3D rendering package Blender.
◦ Adobe is planning to add a 3D printing module to their image processing software, Photoshop.
◦ These are just a few options.
• Load the digital model’s file into the printer’s memory or some external computer that can control the printer.
• The model is then digitally sliced horizontally into very thin cross sections.
• The first cross section layer is printed onto a base or into supporting material in the “build box” and solidified with a laser, heat or other techniques. Not all 3D printers use the “laser sintering” process to solidify layers, but it is a common process.
• Each subsequent layer is printed on top of the previous layer. In some printers, the print bed (surface) moves around to aid in the layering process.
In the case of powdered materials, the process appears to be a block of loose powder, but upon completion, excess materials are brushed or vacuumed away to reveal the solid object.

What Materials Can You Use in 3D Printing?

The list of materials already in use in 3D printing might surprise you at the diversity. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
• brass
• carbon fiber
• ceramic
• cloth
• concrete
• edible materials such as cheese, chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and other materials. The ChefJet 3D printer can produce a variety of edible products including ravioli. Other printers can produce pizza, chickpea nuggets, corn chips, sugar candies.
• glass
• metals and transition metals: steel, titanium, aluminum, gold.
• plastic – several types
• wax

The Market for 3D Printing

Chris Anderson, former longtime editor of Wired Magazine and author of several books on technology — including Makers: The New Industrial Revolution — quit journalism to become a 3D entrepreneur. His feeling is that personal 3D printers will be bigger than the Internet in terms of personal impact — allowing us to have our own factories at home, replacing the personal computer printers many households now have.
• 3D printing technology has been around for at least 25 years and been in long use by carmakers and aerospace companies.
• 3D printing has also made its way more recently into the medical field and others.
• Industrial strength printers can run from $5K to $1M, and use different multi-colored plastic and other materials.
• Consumer 3D printers are dropping steadily in price — some now sub-$1,000, with professional models running from $15K-59K.
• The 2011 market just for 3D printing (worldwide, including printers, materials, service, etc.) was around $1.7B.
• The 2012 market $2.2B — an increase of 29% from 2011.
• $3.7B is the estimated market size by 2015.
• $400B is the price paid in Jun 2013 by Stratasys for Makerbot Industries — in which Amazon’s Jeff Bezos had a small stake.
• Dell Computers ordered at least 5,000 units from Zortrax in Jan 2014, for use in some of their own Asian offices.
• In addition, Dell will be reselling at least Makerbot printers as of Feb 2014.
Several key patents for 3D printing technology expired in Jan 2014, with more expiring later in 2014. What this means is that there is the immediate potential to bring much lower cost 3D printers to consumers. Want speedy delivery of select items? How about “now”?

A Letter from the Dean- Implementing Tiered Reference Service

I am pleased to announce we will immediately initiate our strategic priority of implementing a tiered reference service model. Based on what we have heard from Karen Williams, other Library Futures speakers, and the discussions in the follow-up to Karen’s presentation, I’m convinced this is the right step for us at this time. My thanks to all of you who contributed the ideas and suggestions that are incorporated in the tiered model described below.

Circulation and Information Services

The first tier will be the service desk on the first floor, which will become the Circulation and Information Services Desk. The term Information Services is used to signal a change in our reference model and uses language that is more familiar to today’s users.

The next tier will be librarians who have in-depth training and knowledge to assist users with reference and research level queries. The Circulation and Information Services staff will follow protocols (to be determined) for moving a query up to the second tier in the most effective and efficient manner.

Organizationally, Circulation and Information Services will be part of Access Services, within the Library Operations division. Staff will perform all of the following:

• Serve as the first point of in-person and telephone queries.
• Answer directional and basic informational questions.
• Direct research questions to librarians via Skype or chat links or make appointments for research consultations with appropriate librarians via their Outlook calendars
• Each staff member will be able to respond to questions, check-out books, handle study room reservations and respond to questions.
• Provide basic technology support for effective use of the equipment in the Commons area.
• Maintain paper and toner in printers in the Commons area.

Referrals

We will develop well-defined guidelines for referral of research-level and curricular issues to appropriate librarians (subject librarians, functional specialists, etc.) including a proactive follow-up protocol to ensure questions are answered in a timely manner.

Staffing

Access Services will provide administrative oversight of the Circulation and Information Services Desk. They will:

• Create a team of staff, Graduate Assistants, and undergraduate information assistants who will be cross-trained in a variety of functions appropriate to their roles.
• The number of staff needed to achieve all of the functions of this service point will be studied and determined based on variables such as peak hours of service demand.
• One senior staff member will coordinate scheduling and collaboration and communication with other departments throughout the Library.
• A second librarian will be added to Access Services to guide the overall implementation of the new Information Service model and will have an ongoing role in training, mentoring and monitoring to ensure continuous improvement and overall success.

We expect there will be some opportunities for existing staff to consider contributing to this new service area. I invite you to think about your interest in a possible reassignment to a new role and responsibilities.

 H/SS, SED, Government Documents, DLS, Special Collections and Oral History Librarians

•  Librarians currently scheduled at the first floor Reference Desk will no longer have regular desk assignments. Instead they will develop means to respond quickly to referrals from the Circulation and Information Services Desk.

• Librarians and Staff in H/SS, SED, Government Documents, DLS, Special Collections and Oral History will contribute to the success of the new design in many significant ways—from initial and ongoing training to responding in a seamless way to referrals of research-level queries. This change will provide more opportunity for librarians to focus on our priority to become fully embedded—or engaged—with academic departments and research programs.

• ·  Rich Paustenbaugh will work with the subject librarians, and with partners in Special Collections, DLS, Government Documents and Oral History to develop more ways to integrate the Library into the workflow of faculty and graduate students. We’ll announce more specifics about this priority later this year.

Planning and Implementation

To accomplish the detailed planning and initial implementation of the new Information Service model, Robin Leech will lead a task force to:

•  Determine the mix of staffing needed for the service, considering all service hours.

• Outline the basic competencies for this mix of staff and design, organize and where necessary conduct the training essential to the success of the service.

• Prepare guidelines for referral of appropriate research-level and curricular needs.

• Set up a simple system to monitor overall implementation and schedule opportunities for communication between Information Services and Research and Learning and Special Collections during the first year of the new service.

Members of the task force will be announced shortly.

Timetable

This initiative is on a fast-track. Initial implementation will occur during July with a goal of full implementation by the start of the academic year on August 18. This is an aggressive timetable; but, we’ve been in the study-and-discussion phase since July 2012, and we are all anxious for some action, to get something moving. We will move quickly with the understanding that we will tweak things as we learn, support each other even when we make inevitable “mistakes” and celebrate as we go.

Broward County Library’s Creation Station

Throughout the Library Future’s series we’ve looked at inspirational projects from various libraries. Suzanne Reinman pointed us to information about the Broward County Library’s Creation Station.

If you have links or photos of other libraries you’d like to share on the blog email them to lib-pub@okstate.edu.

Happiness in the Workplace

How does working at the Library contribute to your happiness? 
What changes do you think we could make to boost morale and improve employee satisfaction? 
 

There is an “I” in Team: Session Recap

In March 2013, Bonnie Cain-Wood attended a session on organizational transitions. Her notes, takeaways and follow up questions are below.

Session Brief: From school sports to the workplace, we’ve been conditioned to believe there is no “I” in team. But that’s a lie. For years, the preferences of individuals have largely been ignored in favor of the team. Organizations have eagerly implemented team-building exercises and trendy collaboration tools to support team effectiveness and productivity; but in doing so, have overlooked individual work styles and preferred tools, leaving individual employees feeling frustrated and unempowered. But there is a new movement afoot, spawned by a generation of individuals who demand to work on their own terms and use their own devices; who want to empower themselves through mobile, social and other technologies to work in a manner that makes sense to them as individuals, not as members of a team.

This session explored the emergence of the "I" Team, its impact on team structure and group collaboration, and the strategies and tools to best support the "I" Team in your organization.

Takeaways:

• Evernote, Dropbox, etc. We bring these tools to work on our own. IT didn't give them to us. We are using personal devices and tools to collaborate on our own terms.
• Workology (link to http://www.mindjet.com/workology/)-different work personalities
• The achievements of an organization are the combined successes of a number of individuals.

Library Applications: What can we do to encourage/foster collaboration on personal terms? For example, I direct my work line to my cell phone because it a better tool. I don't expect the library to pay for it, but it helps me do my job better.

If you would like to share your notes on conference sessions relevant to the Library Future Series contact lib-pub@okstate.edu.

Fair Use and the Future of Libraries

What can we/should we be doing to educate our employees and our patrons about fair use?

The Social Librarian

What are we doing/could we be doing to encourage and facilitate “social librarians”?