Fabricated - by Hod Lipson & Melba Kurman (Paperback)

About the Book

This book tells the story of 3D printers, humble manufacturing machines that are bursting out of the factory and into schools, kitchens, hospitals, even onto the fashion catwalk. The book describes the emerging world of printable products, where people design and 3D print their own creations as easily as they edit an online document. A 3D printer transforms digital information into a physical object by carrying out instructions from an electronic design file, or "blueprint."

Book Synopsis

Fabricated tells the story of 3D printers, humble manufacturing machines that are bursting out of the factory and into schools, kitchens, hospitals, even onto the fashion catwalk. Fabricated describes our emerging world of printable products, where people design and 3D print their own creations as easily as they edit an online document.

A 3D printer transforms digital information into a physical object by carrying out instructions from an electronic design file, or 'blueprint.' Guided by a design file, a 3D printer lays down layer after layer of a raw material to 'print' out an object. That's not the whole story, however. The magic happens when you plug a 3D printer into today's mind-boggling digital technologies. Add to that the Internet, tiny, low cost electronic circuitry, radical advances in materials science and biotech and voila! The result is an explosion of technological and social innovation.

Fabricated takes the reader onto a rich and fulfilling journey that explores how 3D printing is poised to impact nearly every part of our lives.

Aimed at people who enjoy books on business strategy, popular science and novel technology, Fabricated will provide readers with practical and imaginative insights to the question 'how will this technology change my life?' Based on hundreds of hours of research and dozens of interviews with experts from a broad range of industries, Fabricated offers readers an informative, engaging and fast-paced introduction to 3D printing now and in the future.

From the Back Cover

What would you create if you had a machine that could make (almost) anything?

Fabricated offers you practical and imaginative insight into the question, "How will 3D printing change my life?" This book is an informative and fast-paced exploration of 3D printing technologies and the people who use them. You'll take a journey to design studios, businesses, schools, and cutting-edge research labs. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, Fabricated explores the promise and peril of a 3D printed present and future.

• Businesses will be liberated from the tyrannies of economies of scale
• Factories and global supply chains will shrink, finding themselves closer to their customers
• The law, already reeling from digital media, will once again need to be redefined
• Our environment might breathe easier in a 3D printed economy, or it could choke on a rising tide of plastic
• 3D printed digital and intelligent, adaptive materials will change our relationship with the physical world

If you're intrigued with new technology, business strategy, popular science, or the social impact of technology, Fabricated will fascinate you.

Review Quotes

"This engaging book takes the reader on a journey that explores how 3D printing will impact our lives. Fabricated is ideal if you're interested in integrating 3D printing into your work, but are not experts in design software." (Design Talks, August 2013)

"It's well-written, and with chapters like 'Digital cuisine, ' 'Ownership, safety and new legal frontiers' and 'A factory in the classroom, ' the book holds much promise. I put it like that because I haven't actually read it yet! I've literally just started on it, and thought I would take the opportunity to give you the heads-up on it." (ICTinEducation.org, June 2013)

About the Author

Hod Lipson and Melba Kurman put innovative technologies into context. Lipson is a leading researcher and speaker on 3D printing, digital materials, and the transformative power of intelligent machines. His lab at Cornell University has pioneered interdisciplinary research in 3D printing, product design, artificial intelligence, and smart materials. Kurman is an author and technology analyst who covers game-changing technologies in language that intelligent (and busy) non-experts can understand.