English Unlimited HTL 4/5, Schulbuch mit Audio-CD und CD-ROM

83 Production and industry 06 LANGUAGE SKILLS EXPLORE EXTRAS You have found the information below and on the next page online. You decide to use it as a starting point for an article on technological visions for the near future. The article will be published on the English-language technology news platform of your school. In your article, you should:   explain the process of 3D printing, including its advantages and disadvantages.   analyse the effects of 3D printing on your field of study.   comment on how people’s visions for the future may affect today’s developments. Give your article a title. Write around 300 words.  Writing guide, Article , p. 176. 32 3D printing 3D printing Number of components Conventional production Complexity of components Cost Cost Conventional production Why is additive manufacturing ushering in a new era? This process can create new inexpensive prototypes or be used for mass production of new inventions. The tremendous media interest in it has already resulted in a massive increase in sales of 3D printers for industry and individuals, which in turn has resulted in a significant price reduction. 3D printer sales in 2013 exceeded $2.2 billion worldwide. The grand theory is that domestic 3D printers will eventually enable consumers to avoid costs associated with purchasing common household objects. Instead they can simply manufacture them in-house and on demand. They’ll only pay for raw materials and the IP – the software files for any designs you can’t find free on the web. Another implication is that goods will be infinitely more customised because altering them won’t require retooling, only tweaking the instructions in the software. 3D printers have already been sold into a broad spectrum of industrial end-use markets for prototyping, including the automotive industry, the dental and medical industries, the aerospace industry, the defense industry, the fashion industry, the footwear industry, the architectural industry and the construction industry. Compare your ideas in class. Write a sentence answering the question: Whose job is it to protect human rights? Read out your sentences in class. Do you have contradictory views? Now read the article on pp. 201–202. Underline any information which answers the question in 30a. Discuss your findings in class. Do you agree with what is said in the article? Why? /Why not? b Freedom of choice for employees Occupational health and safety No child labour No discrimination Freedom of association Working time in compliance with national laws a 30 b a 31 b Explore writing: An article about the future of 3D printing Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv