How 3D Printing Technology Will Affect Package Delivery by the Postal Service

According to a recent report, the United States Postal Service may use 3D printing technology to revive its ailing business. The new technology would be a financial boon in a number of ways, but in the USPS's traditional business of shipping packages and by having the government own mail service branch out into 3D printing items itself.

The idea is that 3D printing will lead to more single item parcels being shipped over shorter distances rather than hundreds of thousands of identical items being shipped over longer distances. This will lead to less fuel consumption and less emissions.

The USPS maintains a massive "first mile" and "last mile" delivery network that fits perfectly into a model in which businesses make 3D printed items close to their customers. As the technology matures and more people begin making 3D printed items at home, they will still need a way for materials like powders and binding materials. The USPS believes that its delivery network and its expertise in shipping lightweight packages will fit perfectly to satisfy this need.

The postal service could go even further by partnering with businesses to actually install 3D printers on site at its various post offices along with micro warehousing. This would cut costs for the 3D printing manufacturer and would open up a new revenue stream for the USPS.

To maintain the security of files which may have copyrighted designs, the postal service could provide its own network or even deliver the designs on physical media, providing a level of security that the Internet cannot meet.

It short the postal service is thinking about how 3D printing could benefit its business and is planning to react accordingly.

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3D Printing With Fungus

One of the more intriguing ways that 3D printing is being used to create art has been developed by a Dutch artist named Eric Klarenbeek. He has gone beyond using the standard heated plastic or powdered metal to create 3D printed objects. He has found a way to use fungus to create objects like chairs that are not only durable, but also compostable.



The way it works is that Klarenbeek grinds up straw and mixes it with Mycelium fungus. The result is a filament that can be used just like any other material in a FDM printing, but with a twist. Unlike plastic or metal, the combination straw/fungus material does not need to be heated as it is used in the additive manufacturing process.

Once the object is printed, Klarenbeek soaks it with water and sets it aside. The fungus grows, replacing the water, and creates an object that is much like cork.

The next step is to create an outer shell using bio plastic and then placing the straw/fungus object in it. The Mycelium continues to grow and, in a couple of days, creates a structurally sturdy object.

Klarenbeek claims that this technique can be used to 3D print just about any object, from small figurines, to furniture such as tables and chairs, to eve an entire house. The results are literally manufactured products made with a living organism.

A house made of what is essentially the same stuff that mushrooms are made of would be a fascinating thing to see. In any case Klarenbeek may have found a way to create products for people who are both technologically savvy and environmentally sensitive.

For more 3d printing News Visit http://3dprinting.org/3dnews

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3D Printing Opportunities using epoxy resins

One of the fascinating aspects of the emerging technology of 3D printing is how researchers are experimenting with different materials. Thermoplastics and powdered metal are already standard materials for the additive manufacturing process. Gizmag reports that researchers at Harvard are delving into the 3D printing opportunities inherent in using an epoxy resin.

It is a truism in materials science that he stronger a material is, the denser and therefore heavier it tends to be. Conversely lighter materials tend to be weaker. The idea is to find or create materials that are at once strong and lightweight.

Balsa wood is one such material. It tends to be light and, because of a unique cellular structure, strong. It is used for such things as the blades of wind turbines as well as model cars and planes. The problem is that most balsa wood comes from Ecuador.

The Harvard researchers have found a way to create an epoxy resin material that can be used in a 3D printer that has a cellular structure that makes it better than balsa wood. They built the new composite using an epoxy-based resin containing nanoclay platelets to increase viscosity, as well as two types of fillers-- silicon carbide "whiskers" and discrete carbon fibers. What's more, the researchers can play with the density of the material, controlling it as it gets spun out of the 3D printer.

The resulting structures are much stiffer and stronger than the standard thermoplastics currently used in 3D printing. This opens the way to building lightweight but stronger products from the wind turbine blades to lighter but safer cars that increase gas mileage.

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