3D Printing technology is enabling us to look at how things are manufactured in a completely different way. This additive manufacturing way allows us to start without any tooling to manufacture a product from scratch. It has many benefits for every industry. The world of travel is predicted to be gigantically affected by 3D printing technology. Experts like Janne Kyttanen have already shaken the world by imagining travel without luggage! And it seems possible to imagine airports and hotels have 3D printers which are currently available at a cheap price, Pick 3D Printer has put on a list of the best cheap and affordable 3D Printers in the $200 -$300 range worth checking.
It is still 2021 and the technology has grown out to be this accessible. Imagine the same technology ten or fifteen years from now! How cheap, accessible and flexible it must be! There’ll be plenty of new things which the world of travel industry witness because of the benefits 3D printing technology has. Of course we are not simply going to press a button and reach out to this stage; we’ll have to make an effort to reach there. But, one thing is for sure and that is, the change for better in the travel industry. So, to give you a glimpse we predict to you few ways in which this revolution can take place.
1) Travel Cost reduction
Starting from the very aspect of travel i.e. carrying essentials while traveling, to the rate of travel tickets, 3D printing has the capability of affecting each one of those. By buying a 3D printer for your home, you will no longer have to shop before traveling. All the essentials you want to buy could be 3D printed. In fact a lot of them are. For example you can 3D print basic things such as charging stations, a mini chess game, a toothbrush case, a first aid kit, food clips and so on. With the advancement in technology more and more essential items can be 3D printed.
Travel tickets are something that is on the manufacturing side. 3D printing technology is proven to be the most efficient technology in producing airplane related parts and functional prototypes cost-effectively. With the development of technology, it is supposed to outshine other manufacturing technologies for making parts and functional prototypes of airplanes and that’s how the manufacturing cost of an airplane is assumed to decrease. Consequently, the price of your travel ticket will also decrease.
2) Lighter air travels would mean lesser pollution due to traveling
Airbus had announced in March 2015 how its next generation airplane A350 XWB will be built by using only a handful of 3D printed components. With 3D printing technology it is easier to create hollow or complicated items with less waste. The result of which are parts with lesser weight and requirement of fewer raw materials. In this experiment, Airbus found how the 3D printed parts weigh anywhere from 30 to 55 percent lesser than their counterparts. These parts use 90 percent less material than their competition.
This means a significant amount of decrease in energy consumption of the manufacturing process and manufacturing lighter airplanes that will consume less fuel. What this essentially means is, decrease in pollution. Meaning that 3D printing is environmentally sustainable way of manufacturing, at least for the travel industry.
3) Easier travel with better facilities for travelers
The ability of 3D printing to customize can be used in cooperation with its capability to create on demand. All of that to create an ambience or environment that is totally how the customer wants it. There’ll be no need to assume any sort of stereo typicality. And this can go for both, the hotel where one chooses to stay, as well as the mode of travel. Your material needs can be mentioned at the hotel’s reception while you check in and till you freshen up, they can be 3D printed.
While traveling too, you can have a similar option. Say for example, while booking tickets there can be a question answer form which airlines can give you to fill and then the complete journey can be carried out in the way you want. But of course, the specificities of these aspects can change according to the duration of your stay and managed accordingly. The point is, 3D printing technology is capable of on demand printing and mass customization.
4) Emergencies during travel will be handled smoothly
Say there is a medical emergency due to an accident that happened during travel. You would not have to wait to get parts from a manufacturer. Instead, the 3D printers present in hospitals will manufacture a part according to your biology and save the damage from happening. Not going this far, say there you are a photographer and your lens broke down while traveling!
You can 3D print that lens at your disposal rather than ordering it online or offline and waiting for the same. The same logic applies to other things as well. Say if you forgot an item to carry with you or some item that you are already carrying has broken, you can repair it easily by manufacturing the broken part using 3D printing technology.
The Conclusion
More and more people related to the travel industry are connecting to 3D printing technology seeing its benefits. And that’s a reason why experts are seeing huge annual growth in investment and production of 3D printing technology in the travel industry. The shape that the travel industry has taken since its start, to date is because of subtractive methods of manufacturing. And the inaccuracies that exist within products and systems are also because of the same.
Because 3D printing technology is based on the concept of additive manufacturing, it eliminates the limitations of traditional manufacturing techniques. Additionally, it systems and products to be personalized, which is the most important thing anybody seeks in his or her travel plan. That’s why 3D printing technology is considered a revolutionary technology, in general for all industries, but specifically for travel. The seeds of all the revolution mentioned in this article are already laid and are getting nurtured from time to time. So, it’s all the wait till to let it get into a proper shape.