New video series 'Beyond the Desktop' explores potential of 3-D printing

The Wilson Center's Science and Technology Innovation Program (STIP) is releasing a five-episode video series looking at the potential for additive manufacturing to transform how we build things - and what we need to do to fully realize this potential.

Beyond the Desktop explores how additive manufacturing could affect the fields of medicine, aerospace, space technology and more. Beginning Sept. 9, 2015, a new episode will be released each Wednesday through early October. Episodes will be posted on the Wilson Center homepage: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/3dprinting

Many feel the true impact of additive manufacturing will be felt at the industrial level, where companies in different sectors hope to use the technology to make better and more innovative products at a lower cost.

"Desktop 3-D printing has received significant media coverage, but this hides the larger story happening in industry, where the technology will change everything from prototyping to the production of complex parts and the design of supply chains," says David Rejeski, director of the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Wilson Center and executive producer of the series.

The series looks at how doctors are already incorporating 3-D printing into their surgical work, how aerospace manufacturers are finding cost savings in using additive manufacturing to build critical parts, and how startups are using 3-D printing to enable longer supply chains into space.

Beyond the Desktop builds upon other STIP work focused on additive manufacturing. Last month, the program released the results of a workshop that examined the environmental and human health implication of additive manufacturing. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the workshop was conducted in conjunction with the Center for Manufacturing Innovation at the University of Florida. For more information, please visit the archived workshop page: http://nsfamenv.wilsoncenter.org/

Beyond the Desktop was filmed on location in California, Illinois and Washington, DC in 2013-2015. Aaron Lovell, senior program associate for STIP, was the director and producer of the series. Joe Filvarof was the associate producer and cameraman.