Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    VISITORS with a non-technical background may find the cutting-edge high-tech products at the China Hi-Tech Fair a bit out of reach, but a pavilion of 3-D printers in Hall 1 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center may satisfy their desire for novelty and fun, where they can try the world’s fastest 3-D printer.

    At a maximum printing speed of 450 centimeters per second, the IdeaWerk 3-D printer can produce a custom-designed bracelet in six minutes, far outpacing the speed of 100 to 200 centimeters per second with similar 3-D printers in the market. Its developer, Shenzhen Weistek Co., is offering free trial sessions from 2 to 4 p.m. each day during the Hi-Tech Fair to allow visitors to design and print their own designs and take their inventions home.

    Whatever comes to the human mind, from simple objects such as a cup or name card to complex designs like a robotic component, can be printed as long as one can build a 3-D model with modeling software.

    Again, building a 3-D model is not as difficult as most laypersons might imagine. Clicking the shapes and tools embedded in the modeling software can create simple models, but making your design meet certain specifications may involve more skill. Once the model is finalized, one click of a button sends it to the 3-D printer.

    Individual users who use these types of machines typically prefer customized gifts or handicrafts in their designs.

    3-D printing has already been increasingly used in various fields, such as industrial design, consumer products, medical items and military product manufacturing as the technology has matured. The technology is expected to usher in an era of “individual manufacturing” in the upcoming years as 3-D printers become more affordable and the modeling software more user-friendly.

    “The fast 3-D printer is revolutionizing traditional manufacturing because it is more time-efficient and cost-effective,” said Guo Jiajing, the company’s vice president. “It actually is easily accessible to ordinary people with very easy operation.”

    Despite the advantages, the use of 3-D printing remains low in China in comparison with European and American markets where people generally have a better habit of creating things with their own hands.

    “Although 3-D printing is not new to the Chinese market, very few people, aside from designers, have used 3-D printers. We hope more people can benefit from the technology as the cost lowers and people see its educational benefits,” said the company’s spokesperson Li Zhi. The company has been cooperating with a few primary and middle schools in the city, such as Meisha Primary School and Lihu Middle School, and some afterschool community classrooms to promote the use of 3-D printing in education.

    “It’s very encouraging to see children use their own imagination to create things with 3-D printers, breaking the mold of how traditional teaching imparts knowledge,” he said.