The Changes Of Design Patterns And Commerce Form With The Influence Of 3D Printing

In the process of social development, every technology advancement is changing people's lives, just as it develops, broadens and merges design art. For example, the invention of photography gave birth to photographic art; the invention and application of TV lead to film arts; the emergence of computers and multi-media advertisements brought to us the development in multi-media digital industries and etc. Now we are facing a brand new 3D printing technology, and more of us are becoming aware of its unique qualities. The concept of“3D Printing” has entered people's lives. Many media are focused on reporting related updates,and the renowned The Economist referred to “3D Printing” as the third Industrial Revolution.The emergence of 3D Printing allowed great capacity for human imagination and was quickly applied to numerous industries. In the continuous development of society, people have increasing material needs. An increasing portion of the population are interested in individualized products, value user experience of the products, and are willing to use their own intelligence to design and create products. Some designers who kept up with this technological trend were inspired and used this new technology to create more creative and innovative products. However, most people right now, including designers, only focused on the application of 3D Printing technology, but failed to consider the revolutionary change this technology could bring to the design industry in a broader perspective.This essay consists of a comprehensive research, which explores 3D printing technology from different phases and forms, organizes and studies the design models and sales models,analyzes and summarizes the disadvantages of traditional design models and sales models. Its significance is not only about a transformation in the design and sales models, but also about integrating design to the public and initiating a deep-rooted change from mass to individualized production and from complex to straightforward sales. This essay has five sections. The first section is mainly to illustrate 3D printing and current research on the matter in order to set the theoretical foundations for further discussions. The second section defines the concept of 3D printing and different manufacturing techniques, while exploring the application of such technology in different fields in order to set the theoretical foundations for further discussions on its influence. The third section starts with a discussion of the limitations of traditional design and sales models, and analyzes the transformation 3D printing brings to the design model in terms of design procedure, ideals, designer and consumer. The fourth section talks about the impact 3D printing has on commerce by analyzing traditional sales models and e-commerce models combined with specifics of 3D printing. The fifth section is to examine the practicality of the theory through a real-life case, experimenting on the establishment of diynova.com todemonstrate the argument of this essay. Through the analysis of the five sections, this essay finally concludes that the emergence of creative community service platforms on the Internet can effectively bring together 3D printing with creative design, manufacture and production,online sales and many other resources. Eventually, the whole process will consist of design,manufacture and sales all integrate into one innovative ecosystem. This brand new innovative ecosystem will be the essential change 3D printing bring to people's lives.