Thursday, October 1, 2015

3D printing to benefit medicine and the economy

New and amazing technologies are always developing, leaving consumers more awe-inspired than ever before. 3D printing in the medical field has been on the rise for the past few years. Researchers are now making significant progress and can advance from printing linear nerves to y-shaped ones like the sciatic nerve. After testing it in rats and seeing marked improvements in their walking abilities, researchers are optimistic that these groundbreaking advancements will eventually be implemented into humans and similar results will transpire (Sparrow). While this technology is widely valuable in the medical field, it also has many implications for business as well, especially with its continued growth and expansion.

According to Business Insider, 3D printing could grow up to 30% and “has the potential to reshape how America makes stuff, creating new high tech jobs in the U.S. and bringing old ones back from abroad” (Wile). Since this printing is become so much more popular and is constantly looking to improve, more skilled engineers and researchers will be employed to help aid the expansion of 3D printing. However, it is not just the skilled jobs that will see an increase in numbers; technicians and other minimal education required jobs will grow as well. Wile claims that “[the industry will] see elite job shops grow, and…also see blue-collar employees learn the technology and adapt and start wearing white shirts.” Therefore, not only does this help the skilled inventors but also those involved in the technician process. Finally, with new materials becoming available, the eventual costs of the printers decreasing, and speeds of the printers increasing, it is expected that 3D printing “will [be adopted] not only by larger companies, but also by the smaller companies” (Wile). Consequently, this will cause widespread job increases across the medical field and economic growth.

While the addition of 3D printing appears to be beneficial to employers and employees, this article fails to address what affects it will have on consumers. Because these innovations require advanced and costly technology, as well as the increase and jobs and therefore wages expense, I find it hard to believe that prices for consumers to have 3D printed nerves implemented would be anything other than astronomical. Also, the article expresses how countries that have both skilled and unskilled workers, like the US, support the technology of 3D printing and its practices. However, it does not address the impact that it would have on countries that do not have the level of educated workers that the US has. Overall, I think that 3D printing is a great invention that could benefit multiple industries and I look forward to seeing how it continues to impact our nation.


Sparrow, Norbert. "Plastics Today." Plastics Today. UBM Canon, 29 Sept. 2015. Web.
            01 Oct. 2015.

Wile, Rob. "This Technology Could Have The Biggest Impact On American Jobs Since
            Offshoring." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 04 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Oct.
            2015.



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