The term refers to the development of affordable technologies that enable the transfer of complex manufacturing process to the end user of a product. The most notable of these (or the ones that have received the most attention) are so-called 3D printers. 3D printers are able to construct a physical object on the basis of a computer generated model using a range of materials. But, these technologies may also include laser cutters that are able to “punch-out” a design from a piece of material (laser cutters are not yet considered a viable consumer item but there’s no reason not to assume that they will be in the future). The implications of these technologies will be significant because they have the potential to radically alter consumer behaviors and markets. Instead of manufacturing a surplus of objects that a producer hopes to sell, producers will simply provide the design in a computer format and consumers will manufacture them themselves. This raises numerous questions about the nature of work in the future, and insofar as education is expected to prepare the future labor force, for educators as well. Thingiverse by Markerbot is an example of a 3D printing community and market. Visit an interactive version of the infographic at: http://www.thinglink.com/scene/380981783115595778

1. BUILD YOUR LEARNING WITH
3D PRINTING
1984: WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTER
2010: FIRST 3D BIOPRINTER (WITH ABILITY TO PRINT ORGANS)
Imagination is everything.
It is the preview of life’s
coming attractions.
—Albert Einstein
2013: WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTER VENDING MACHINE,
3D PRINTING PEN, AND 3D PRINTED DRESS UNVEILED
2014: WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTED BUILDING
EXPECTED
WHEN WILL 3D PRINTING MAKE ITS MARK ON YOU?
CURRENT CONVERSATIONS
REVOLVE AROUND THE IDEA
OF A PRESENT KNOWLEDGEBASED ECONOMY.
Imagination and
creativity: Think
3D printing on
the moon.
→
Be a prosumer.
Create your physical
world in a highly
iterative, complex,
tactile way.
An increasingly
active learning
environment —
in 3-D
instead of 2-D.
PREPARE FOR A
REVOLUTIONARY
MARKET SHIFT.
Innovation
and its ethical
concerns: 3D
printed guns are
already in the
works.
Critical thinking and
problem solving.
In 2010, an 83-yearold woman became
the first to have a
3D-printed jaw
transplant.
Collaboration. Dutch
architects are
working on a
3D-printed house
that can be
assembled in one
day.
This is
your brain.
WHAT DOES A DESIGNBASED ECONOMY LOOK
LIKE?
Collaborate
beyond classroom
walls. Exchange opensource blueprints:
www.thingiverse.
com
Entrepreneurship
and leadership.
Think cubify.com.
This is your brain
on 3D printing.
STATS:
Current “Single Replicator”
from MarketBot only costs
$1749.
The industry is currently
valued at $1.2 billion (as of
2012), expected to grow
300% to 5.2% by 2020.
The personal 3D printer fabbster
from Sintermask. Photo from Flickr.
Sources include: Fast Company; Huffington Post; Techcrunch.com; psfk.com;
store.makerbot.com; the Telegraph; dvice.com; global.fncstatic.com
CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION: HTTP://LEAPFROG.UMN.EDU/FUTUREOFEDUCATION
ORGANIZED BY THE TECHNOLOGY REDESIGN TASK GROUP
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP, POLICY, AND DEVELOPMENT