There is no better time to become a CAD (Computer-Aided Design), technician! Industry advancements and innovations are pushing the drafting and design industry forward, and increasing demand for skilled professionals who know how to use the latest tools and technologies.
One technology impacting the world of computer-aided design is 3D printing. If you pursue CAD training, you can take advantage of modern 3D modeling technology and its eco-friendly, innovative reputation. But for all its popularity, is 3D printing really a clean, sustainable mode of manufacturing?
Read on to learn what the sustainable 3D printing trend is all about, and how it impacts the CAD field.
How 3D Printing Impacts Today’s CAD Technician Career
Being able to print 3D designs can offer many benefits to a professional in a CAD technician career. 3D printing helps engineers effectively produce structural models early in the design stage, which help people better envision the final product, improving quote accuracy and impressing clients.
And by allowing these experts to hold 3D models in their hands—testing their stress factors and tolerances before passing them on to the final construction stage—3D printing can help companies avoid costly mistakes.
With these capabilities and more, 3D printing’s power efficiency is taking the documentation and design industry by storm.
Are 3D Printers ‘Green’ Machines? The Sustainability Argument
An environmentally-friendly aspect of design or production can be a major selling point for today’s clients. Proponents of 3D printing technology have long argued for its sustainable, waste-reducing abilities.
Industry pros say 3D printing offers complete design optimization, wherein only the exact amount of raw material needed is used to create the final product (no waste!). They also say using fewer raw materials, to begin with, results in products with improved operational efficiency, often weighing less in the end—which can even promote fuel efficiency for 3D products used in car and airplane parts.
And 3D printers take up little space themselves, offering an office-friendly image of manufacturing instead of the air-polluting industrial factory concept consumers have come to criticize.
Engineering Training Teaches the Real Impact of 3D Printing
Despite rare examples of engineers using seaweed filament for 3D printing, CAD technicians know that 3D printed models are made from photopolymers—plastics with high levels of the toxic heavy metal antimony.
Not only are these plastics non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle, but their toxic antimony has been recorded to significantly “leach out” into their surrounding atmospheres within 20 hours of their printing.
Sustainable design strategist Jeremy Faludi recently published a study on “ultrafine particle emissions from desktop 3-D printers.” He concluded that 3D printers emit tiny, heated thermoplastic particles at levels that can be toxic and harmful to inhale. Experts agree that until exhaust filtration technologies are improved, 3D printers will continue to pollute our air.
A Cautious Way Forward for CAD Design Course Grads
Modern engineering training not only teaches students proficiency in modern drafting and design technology but also promotes an ethical code specific to the privileges that come with a design diploma.
While 3D printing can help CAD technicians promote sustainable design and manufacturing, CAD designers can find similar sustainable properties in less trendy manufacturing methods, like injection molding and casting. This machinery processes material quicker on a per-hour basis than 3D printers do, producing more products with less energy consumption—and fewer toxic emissions.
Through courses focusing on the impact of technological change in society, you can learn how to use the latest tools (including 3D software) to make your mark on the world in the most ethical way possible.
Are you interested in pursuing a CAD design course? Visit the Digital School for more information or to speak with an advisor.
