3D Printing and its Effect on the Fashion Industry: It's More Than Just About Intellectual Property

When most people think about 3D Printing and the fashion industry, they immediately focus on the intellectual property consequences.

While there certainly are a myriad of intellectual property issues that must be addressed right now, there are several other areas that will be equally affected.

This paper will discuss how 3D Technology will affect the supply chain, employment opportunities, entrepreneurialism, tariffs, and other subject matter.

Since the technology is in its evolutionary cycle, many of the concerns to be discussed are forward-looking and of-the-moment; consequently, a deep dive into any given area is impractical.

Rather, this paper will address topics from a bird’s eye view and conclude with

thought provoking and sometimes unanswered (or even unanswerable) questions that readers should store in the back of their minds as they watch the technology improve and unfold.

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Phil Magenheim is New VP of 3D at ABC Imaging

ABC Imaging has appointed Mr. Phil Magenheim as the Vice President of 3D Services at their headquarters in Washington, DC.

Given the current advancements in 3D technology and the usefulness that 3D data affords many of his clients, ABC Imaging continually strives to evolve its 3D services and capabilities.

Under Phil’s direction, ABC Imaging’s 3D Division will continue to expand its services in areas including 3D scanning and BIM related services. Phil joins ABC Imaging after over 25 years of experience in the printing and reprographics industry. Prior to working at ABC Imaging, Phil managed a reprographics services firm and established a wide format scanner and software distribution enterprise.

Phil’s success has led him to the field of 3D printing and 3D scanning, and he is now focusing his efforts specifically on products and services for the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) community. ABC Imaging is confident that Phil’s extensive background in reprographics and 3D technology will positively impact the development of the 3D services they provide. ABC Imaging began providing 3D printing services in 2008 and continues to grow its capabilities and experience in 3D technology.

3D Printed Skull Slides for Growth

Brazil’s federally funded research institute CTI Renato Archer, located in Campinas, Sao Paulo, has a branch specifically dedicated to 3D technology. Over 30 doctors, teachers and other specialists in 3D technology work in this division, known as “DT3D,” and pass along their findings and expertise to hundreds of partners working in hospitals, businesses and other research facilities throughout Latin America.

CTI Renato Archer has both FDM and PolyJet-based 3D Printers from Stratasys on site which that are used for research in medicine, energy exploration, manufacturing and more. One of the innovations developed in conjunction with the DT3D team at CTI Renato Archer is InVesalius software, which “translates” 2D images (from computed tomography or magnetic resonance equipment) into 3D reconstruction files that are ready for 3D printing.

InVesalius, which is free for download and open-source, is now used in medical facilities in 80 countries. In 2007, medical DT3D representatives aided in the skull reconstruction of a 12-year-old boy who had been gravely injured in an accident. The challenge was not only to rebuild part of the cranium but to allow for the child’s continued growth. DT3D researcher Peter Yoshito Noritomi explained, “If we used a conventional prosthesis in this cranioplasty, the device could be rejected because of the growth of the patient’s head; another risk would be the deformation of the skull.”

A solution was found for this complex case using prototypes from an Objet 350  Connex multi-material 3D Printer. “Instead of a single prosthesis, we created a device in which each of the four parts was superimposed on the other, capable of sliding smoothly along with the patient’s growth process; with this, the dimensions of the prosthesis would increase together with the space inside the skull,” related Noritomi. The models of the cranium produced on the Objet Connex 3D Printer at Renato Archer were especially prized because of their pinpoint accuracy. “The Objet Connex 3D Printer can generate layers of two hundredths of a millimeter,” Noritomi said.

Thanks to this innovative prosthesis, prototyped with PolyJet 3D printing technology, the life of the youngster was saved; he is now 18 and fully recovered from his injury. Helping physicians and medical researchers to do their most creative and innovative work is one of the greatest benefits of 3D printing!