Research Computing Services Blog

3D Printing Showcase a Festival of Diversity

Enter a world of pure imagination – of the first 3D printed titanium bike, lifelike plastic cadavers and fan-printed Hollywood memorabilia – but instead of umpa lumpas slaving away in dickensian conditions in some billionaire’s chocolate factory, you have digital blacksmiths printing their own creations.

[3D printed movie memorabilia]

The 3D Printing Showcase was held 9-10 October at the University of Melbourne. Participants defied industry and disciplinary boundaries, from engineering to biomedicine, industry to creative arts, researchers and community groups and everywhere in between.

The Showcase was an illustration of the versatility of the technology, as well as a snapshot of the diversity of its enthusiasts. In total 1200 people attended the conference with many more registering their interest.

While the general public may, or may not be, vaguely aware that 3D printing is no longer science fiction but reality, many remain unaware of the huge technological advances that make the technology widely available to the public in various forms, whether through 3D printing businesses open to the public, libraries (such as Library at the Dock), universities or through tech communities (known as ‘maker’ communities).

Some of the big names in industry at the showcase included Makerbot, who sponsored the Sharks Den challenge during the conference, a 3D printing twist on Dragon’s Den that entails pitching more than ideas to a panel of judges; you have to be prepared to come up with the goods in 3D. Makerbot was the first to put 3D printers into people’s homes and the retail market. They are also the first 3D printing company to sponsor a Mojito stand, as far as I’m aware.

3D Printing Systems, Australia’s best-selling desktop 3D printer, also had a substantial presence at the conference, as well as AutoDesk, who became a hero of sorts in the maker community when they brought the open source software TinkerCAD and kept it freely available. These are only a few among the many creative types and businesses big and small offering their expertise to the public.

Officeworks was there with a collection of miniature models of Melbourne celebrities (I spotted Father Bob among the crowd) that they kept in marching columns on their stall. Melbournians can even create their own mini-me at Officeworks CBD where they offer body scanning and 3D printing services to the public.

The research community was well represented at the conference. RMIT University had a desk with many exciting research developments, including 3D printed metal implants for bone. Researchers from Monash University also had a stall, as well as representatives from the University of Melbourne.

A flurried exchange of business cards was a good sign of potential future collaborations.

Despite the diversity of participants, most where united by their use of social media. Many heard about the conference through the Internet and, in particular, Facebook was a big factor in getting the word out across age groups. Family and friends were important sources of information on the conference, especially for the younger crowd, as well as good old-fashioned email, particularly for older attendees.

The diversity of the attendees was notable in other ways. There were a large number of students at the conference, from PhD candidates to the school groups who blazed a trail down the middle of Wilson Hall with their 3D printed car race.

There were also representatives from the business community, including CEOs, managers, consultants and business owners. As well as those from the wider community, from teachers to doctors, a surprising number of artists and retirees, all keen to exercise their creative muscles. Although there were many people from all different walks of life, it was encouraging to observe the youth of the conference, the average age of participants was 36 or 37 years old and significantly younger for women.

As well, a significant percentage of women attendees were in their 20s, many of them research students, which bodes well for the future of STEM in Australia.

However, clearly there is more work to be done correcting the gender imbalance. Girl Geek Academy, whose mission is to get more women and girls in the technology sector, were at the showcase for another year. They estimate that only 12% of engineers are women.

In this context, events such as this showcase are a good start for attracting and supporting more young women in STEM. But the showcase also demonstrated that the applications for 3D printing go way beyond the bounds of the hard sciences and are only limited by our own imaginations.