3D Printers Will Change The World: Let's Take A Look Inside

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Do you remember when printers were first invented and everyone thought it was the greatest invention in the world? The ability to take something from a screen and turn it into a real life replica was pretty amazing. Everyone thinks nothing of a printer these days. You can walk into any library in the world and have something printed for a few cents. I bet you couldn't even imagine business being able to operate without them. At the moment most businesses definitely couldn't.

But there's a new kid in town. People don't really know about it because it's so new. It's now possible to actually print 3D models, from the computer to an actual living creation. There's some huge projects deep in development and soon they will revolutionize the way everything is built. Can you picture a massive printer that actually builds houses with the click of a button? Soon, my friend, they will be here. Let's have a look at some of the different techniques they use to print 3D models.

Fused deposition modeling

FDM is the technique that's used by the largest number of people at the moment. All the commercial machines will use this and if you wanted anything done, you'd use it too. They basically take a big spool of metal wire or plastic and it's melted then placed next to the nozzle of the printer. One layer is done at a time and it's hardened before the printer moves onto the next layer.

Inkjet printing

This one is a little like your printer at home, although it's a long time yet before you can turn your work into 3D models. Special inks are used and they are inclusive of resins and binders. Now layer upon layer is added to the model until your chosen 3D shape is formed. This is unfortunately the only way you can print something with custom colors at the moment.

Selective laser sintering

Sintering means the product is created from powders. You're probably wondering how you could ever create a solid object from powder, but this powder can be anything: metals, glass, even ceramics. The laser basically solidifies the powder as it draws the shape. As you can imagine, the laser involved has to be very powerful, so you'll only see this type of thing happening in industrial projects.

Digital light processing

Now we move onto liquids which are solidified by light. It's also a very powerful light and will only ever be seen on industrial projects. The light is not something you'd want to look directly at unless you wanted your eyeballs to melt. The best thing about this method is the accuracy you can achieve, so for more complex projects it's definitely top drawer. Think space shuttle parts.

And the rest

There's a few other ways that are not nearly as popular is the methods already mentioned. As time progresses they will keep coming and eventually we will find a great technique that's easy to use in a commercial setting.

The future is coming

As I mentioned before, when you think of printers in business it's hard to imagine them not being around. The exact same thing will eventually happen with 3D printers. It's going to replace millions of jobs around the world and will eventually replace most methods of manufacturing. When it does we will only need people to operate and perform maintenance on the printers. The world is going to change in the next 50 years and it's going to be an exciting time indeed. Let's hope we are all around to see it because we're going to be amazed. Now try to imagine what you could do to change the world if you had the power of a 3D printer at your disposal.

Jayden Corris is the author of the article who loves to writes guest blogs on technology and  business. He also writes guest articles for On Time Screen who deals with screen printing and printed t-shirts in Connecticut.

Malware Mucks Up Business

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Each year, businesses are hit with malware infections. Malicious software may damage computers, enable corporate thieves to steal proprietary data or simply slow the network to a crawl. Regardless of the motivation behind malware attacks and infections, large corporations are not the only targets of malicious software. Smaller companies are also affected every year.

Malware Affects Big and Small Businesses Alike

Though 50 percent of all companies affected by malware employ 2500 or more individuals, smaller companies must deal with the problems caused by malicious software, as well. Eighteen percent of companies that are affected by malware employ fewer than 250 people. No matter the size of the company, malware is always a concern.

Malicious software may pose a security threat to companies. Not only are trade secrets and proprietary information at risk, but individuals may also have their identities stolen though malware infected computers. Over 187 million people have had their identities stolen as the result of hacking attacks.

Malware Threatens Productivity Levels

At the very least, loss of productivity may occur due to infected computers rendered inoperable or slow at the workplace. No matter the size of the business, training employees about the cost of malware, as well as how to avoid malware infection, is important. When training employees about mitigating risk of malware infections, it is important to discuss that malware is spread through infected websites that install the malicious software on the computer through the web browser.

Although most malware is spread through webpages, a computer could also be infected via email attachments. During training, be sure to cover that an estimated 1 in 239 emails contain malware in attachments. Train employees to avoid websites that are not work related while on the job. In addition, train employees to never open email attachments unless they know and trust the sender.

Security Awareness Training Can Help Stop a Growing Problem

Malware is a growing problem. Between 2010 and 2011, the incidence of malware increased by nearly 41 percent. Training employees and ensuring that the latest anti-virus sofware is installed on all company machines will help to mitigate the risk of malicious software infecting the company network.

Malware is Everywhere infographic brought to you by Inspired eLearning. Visit their site to learn about security awareness training and more tips for avoiding malware.