Friday, October 31, 2014
Why was 3d printing so late?
I'm sure somebody has noticed this before, but I haven't read it or heard it, so here goes...
Some big inventions couldn't have happened before they did. Radio unquestionably required a sequence of understandings and devices in both electricity and sound. The first voice broadcast happened exactly when it could. Not sooner or later.
Some big inventions happen when they should, then disappear and happen again. Sewage systems were well-developed in Roman times, then disappeared and came back in the 1800s.
Some big inventions could easily have come earlier. The phonograph could have been invented in Roman times. All the ingredients were there. Instead it waited until the 1800s.
How about the latest big invention, 3d printing? Had to be now, or way late? Way late.
The Jacquard loom was a 3d printer operated by pre-programmed instructions. It laid down soft material in a specified sequence. It wasn't quite fully 3d, but it could have been expanded with 1800 technology. To turn its products into hard things, just pour glue or ceramic over the pattern of threads. This technique was already well-established with decorative items like Chinese lacquerware.
Or use the ancient technique of laying down a ceramic object with a 'snake' of soft clay. (I'm sure there's a better word for it!) Attach a jug full of semi-liquid clay, a cloth hose and a valved nozzle to the program-controlled shuttle, and let it lay down the product directly. Fire it and you're done.
Apr 2015 update: Now it's been done. Back to Jacquard!
¶ 11:55 AM 
