Consumer adoption of 3D
printing is unlikely to happen
in the next 5-10 years and 3D
printing in the classroom and
macro 3D printing of large
structures are more than 10
years away, Gartner claims in
a new report,
Hype Cycle for
3D Printing, 2014
.
Pete Basiliere, research vice
president at Gartner, argues
that until prices come down
and ease of use improves, 3D
printing is likely to be dominated
by business and medical
applications.
He said: “Hype around home
use obfuscates the reality
that 3D printing involves a
complex ecosystem of software,
hardware and materials whose
use is not as simple as ‘hitting
print’ on a paper printer.”
Some business applications
are already widely used, notably
prototyping, and over the next
two to five years, Basiliere
expects there to be greater
adoption of 3D printing in
enterprises driven by growing
use of 3D print creation
software, 3D scanners and 3D
printing service bureaux.
“At around this time, 3D
printing of medical devices
will offer exciting, life-altering
benefits that will result in global
use of 3D printing technology
for prosthetics and implants,”
Basiliere said.
New bioplastic set
to accelerate 3D
printing market
Biome Bioplastics, a UK
developer of plastics made
from plant starches, has
launched a new material for
the 3D printing industry that
combines the benefits of
plant-based plastics and oil-
based filaments.
Plant-based plastics are
already a popular choice for 3D
printing because they are easier
to work with during processing
and are food-safe and odour-
free. However, oil-based printing
filaments are still used because
they have a higher softening
point and make more flexible
models that will bend before
they break.
Biome Bioplastics says
that compared to existing
alternatives, Biome3D,
developed in partnership with
3Dom Filaments, offers a
superior finish and flexibility,
with ease of processing and
excellent printed detail. It also
runs at much higher print
speeds, reducing job times.
End-to-end 3D printing
Dell has added three award-winning MakerBot Replicator 3D
Printers to its portfolio of 3D design solutions. When combined with
Dell Precision workstations, they provide an end-to-end 3D digital
prototyping solution for small and medium-sized businesses.
Prices start at £999 ex VAT.
Digital maturity just
five years away
Seven out of 10 business
leaders are confident they
can transition from a state
of digital transformation to
digital maturity within just
five years, according to
research commissioned by
Ricoh Europe.
Digital maturity – where an
organisation uses sophisticated
tools to drive performance
and demonstrates an on-
going commitment to digitally
managed processes – is now a
priority for 77% of businesses in
Europe and the Middle East.
The main obstacle to digital
maturity is cost (cited by 68% of
respondents). However, business
leaders recognise that there are
financial benefits in making the
transition, with 73% saying that
achieving digital maturity will
lead to an increase in profits.
Other benefits include faster
business processes (80%),
improved competitiveness
(70%) and faster decision-
making (69%).
/
thoughtleadership
Virgin Holidays
saves paper with
digital signatures
Virgin Holidays has achieved
significant cost savings
and efficiency gains since
implementing a digital
signature solution in its
Human Resources (HR) and
Procurement departments.
The long haul transatlantic
tour operator is using the
DocuSign Digital Transaction
Management (DTM) platform
to digitise the signing of
contracts with suppliers
and new employees and for
the centralised storage and
management of contracts.
Implementing digital
processes has speeded up
the signing of contracts,
reduced paper consumption
and improved record-keeping.
The HR department alone has
eliminated material costs of
around £10,000 per year and
PRINT.IT
7
n
An inevitable consequence
of digital transformation is a
reduction in printing and paper.
The Environment Agency, for
example, is hoping to prevent
the printing of 23 million paper
waste transfer notes (WTNs)
annually by introducing an
electronic system that lets
organisations create, share
and store WTNs online. Other
benefits of the free Electronic
Duty of Care (eDoc) system are
reduced filing requirements,
faster data retrieval and
improved data tracking,
auditing and reporting.
/
A good example of 3D printing
in medicine is Replica 3DM’s
use of Stratasys 3D Printers
to convert patient CT scans
into 3D models that are used
as surgical guides to identify
correct procedures and test
implants for size and fit before
surgery. The medical 3D printing
specialist is already using the
technology in 12 NHS hospitals,
significantly reducing surgery
time, theatre costs and the
time patients spend under
anaesthetic. Matthew Sherry,
MD of Replica 3DM, said: “A
3D model equips surgeons with
a hands-on perspective which
cannot be achieved by looking
at a computer screen. They
can easily rotate, inspect and
analyse each surgical procedure
on a case-by-case basis,
enabling them to pre-bend
implants knowing that they will
fit the patient perfectly.”
3D printing growth to come
from medical applications
cut signing time for customers
and employees from two weeks
to 48 hours.
The Purchasing department,
too, has made efficiency gains. It
has cut the time taken to process
purchasing contracts internally
from two hours to less than
10 minutes and reduced time
spent tracking, filing and finding
documents as the DocuSign DTM
centralises the filing of contracts
previously kept in numerous
locations and formats.
Because it is so much
quicker to arrange a
procurement agreement using
DocuSign than a paper-based
system, staff are now more
inclined to go through the
purchasing department, bringing
much needed visibility to the
process. Over the last year,
Virgin Holidays has seen a 100%
increase in recorded contracts.
