Museum of Design Atlanta Presents Designers, Makers, Users: 3D Printing the Future

Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO

Monday, July 13th, 2015

Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA) is thrilled to present a cutting edge exhibition exploring 3D printing and how it can and will alter the ways we design and create our world. With plenty to view as well as interactive elements, Designers, Makers, Users: 3D Printing the Future opens at MODA on August 30, 2015 and runs through January 10, 2016. 

In 2015, there is already no question that 3D printing technology and the open source communities surrounding it are rapidly changing the world by making the powerful, new tools of design and manufacturing available to a much wider audience. This accessibility ultimately allows individuals to design customized solutions to even complex problems. Designers, Makers, Users: 3D Printing the Future explores projects, both large and small, in which 3D printing technology is being used in innovative ways. From revolutionizing space exploration, to inspiring new architectural forms, to designing custom prosthetics, this exhibition details the exciting designs made possible by 3D printing and addresses the many questions that these technological advances are raising.

Through images, video, objects and interactive elements, Designers, Makers, Users: 3D Printing the Future presents a variety of current projects that illustrate the myriad uses of this relatively new technology in categories including architecture, interior design, fashion, medicine, manufacturing, aerospace engineering, education and more. For example, the architecture firm Foster+Partners is working with NASA to devise a way to 3D print lunar habitations and NASA recently sent a 3D printer to the International Space Station allowing astronauts to print needed tools or replacement parts rather than carrying them from Earth. Less reliance on Earth for resources will lead to cheaper and more efficient space missions.  The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is investigating how 3D technology can be used to print organs and while this technology is far from being considered safe for human trials, in the future, 3D printed organs could eliminate the long waiting lists for the short supply of organs available for transplant. And DUS Architects in Amsterdam are exploring the impact of 3D printing on design and construction processes by printing an entire Canal House in Amsterdam, a project recently visited by President Barack Obama.

3D Printing the Future is an original exhibition organized by the Museum of Design Atlanta. MODA will host extensive programming including lectures, workshops and 3D printing classes associated with the exhibition