It’s easy to take technology for granted, but consider that 100 years ago, only 35 percent of homes in the United States had telephones. Cellphones, which now are found in the hands of pretty much everyone, were relatively rare as recently as 30 years ago, with only an estimated 11 million in use in the United States at the time. As another example of how quickly technology improves, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon a mere 66 years after the Wright brothers’ historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Can’t find the part you need? Use a 3-D printer to create it in minutes. (Courtesy of Formlabs)
The spread of the internet and more focused efforts have streamlined the creation of technology that improves lives, although it sometimes takes a while for an idea to become reality. Though 3-D printers existed as a concept in 1945, with methodology developed in the 1970s, it wasn’t until 1987 that the first commercial unit was created by 3D Systems Corporation. Initially mostly found in aerospace applications and soon thereafter adopted for use by dentists and physicians, 3-D printers such as the Formlabs Form 3+ are now in everyday use by hobbyists creating jewelry or fabricating hard-to-find parts for antique cars or furniture. As long as a drawing can be made of the object desired, it can be created, using a computer linked to a 3-D printer, loaded with software readily available online….