PERSPECTIVE
IS THE FUTURE OF HOTEL CONSTRUCTION IN 3D ?
Contributed by DAN LESSER , CO-FOUNDER , PRESIDENT , CEO , LW HOSPITALITY ADVISORS
3D printing , originally referred to as rapid prototyping , is a process in which a digital file is used to create a three-dimensional solid object . It could have serious implications for future hotel development .
3D printers are automatically controlled , follow reprogrammable instructions generated by computer-aided manufacturing ( CAM ) software and have at least three axes . 3D-printed items are created through an additive process whereby a robot places sequential layers of material , laid until the desired object is completed . 3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing , where material is cut out or hollowed using equipment such as a milling machine . Conversely , additive manufacturing does not need a mold or material block to create physical objects , and instead stacks layers of finely sliced crosssection of material that fuse together .
The idea of 3D printing dates to 1945 when science fiction writer Murray Leinster first described the technology with surprising accuracy in his short story “ Things Pass By .” Leinster envisioned a machine that could take drawings and replicate them with a moving arm , using melted plastic to form 3D
54 hotelsmag . com September 2024