Emerging Technology

I have chosen 3d printing in prosthetics as my emerging technology. I chose 3d printing in

prosthetics as my emerging technology to research due to the unlimited design capability the
3d printer can do, the job growth associated with it, impact on the economy, and finally the
impact on the environment.
So a basic understanding of a computer would be needed, some knowledge on different
software, and a good imagination on what designs to make would be beneficial.
You will need a 3d printer. Next, a device to run and control the software is needed like
computer. There is no particular software that’s needed to run the printer and there are many
varieties available some free and some that require a payment. Some examples of software
available for use in 3d printing include Ultimaker Cura, Autodesk AutoCAD, TinkerCAD, and
Sketchup. Now with the software certain system requirements are recommended for use and
an example when you search TinkerCAD for system requirements its recommended the
computer be purchased in the past 6 years, windows operating system should at least be
windows 7 or newer, and a browser recommended for use is Google Chrome 10 or newer. Now
that we have the printer and the ability to control it we need the material that can make the
designs. The material in use for 3d printing is called Filament that creates the designs.
With the emerging technology of 3d printing a pro that is introduced for prosthetics is the cost.
Previously ordering a prosthetic professionally as per Jonathan Schwartz (2016) “prosthetics
priced from $5,000-$50,000, having one can almost be considered a luxury.” However, with the
alternative of 3d printing the ability of creating your own could cost as little as $200. Another
pro example is that certain filaments used for 3d printing are eco-friendly for example
according to (V. Ryan © 2011) “Polylactide is biodegradable, as it decays as a result of exposure
to the ultra violet rays of sunlight and oxygen. It decomposes forming carbon dioxide and
water, which present no danger to the environment.” A con of 3d printing is the emission of
harmful gas while producing your design and as per (E&T editorial staff 2019) ““All of these
tests, which were done at high doses, showed that there is a toxic response to the particles
from various types of filaments used by these 3D printers,”. Another con is 3d printing is slow to
create a design due to the need to melt the filament to create the design.
The ability to use a 3d printer will both create jobs and remove jobs. Professionals that create
prosthetics will not be needed due to the expense. New jobs are created by the use of 3d
printing and a team will need to be available for the continuing design of 3d printers, a team to
support the use of 3d printers and for technical support, and the mechanics behind 3d printing
must be programmed by using G-code so a team in the field of CNC programming is needed.
The impact on Commerce is the need to purchase the 3d printer itself and the filament to
produce the prosthetic design. This will also open up additional jobs in the technology field for
the demand for products due to the low cost of producing designs and 3d printing is ever
evolving and will continue to produce newer designs.

E&T Engineering. Commercial 3D printers emit traces of toxic fumes, study finds. Retrieved
from E&T Engineering website: https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/10/commercial-
3d-printers-emit-traces-of-toxic-fumes-study-finds/ In text reference: (E&T editorial staff 2019)

Technologystudent. (2011) RENEWABLE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY POLYLACTIDE (PLA)

Retrieved from: https://technologystudent.com/joints/pla1.html In text reference: (V. Ryan ©
2011)

Techcrunch (2016). The future of 3D-printed prosthetics. Retrieved from:

https://techcrunch.com/2016/06/26/the-future-of-3d-printed-prosthetics/ In text reference:
(Jonathan Schwartz 2016)