
techniques , but he admitted there would be difficulties in meeting his goal .
“ For example , if you run out of ink while printing on paper , you will throw that paper away . But you cannot throw half-completed buildings away if your material gets stuck , ” he said . Although the printed house is not available to visit , there is a chance for people in Shanghai to see items printed in 3D.
The Belgium-based company Materialise NV held a 3D printing exhibition in Shanghai that started in late 2012 and ended in the middle of 2013 . The company is eager to show Asia what is possible with 3D printing .
“ All the pieces shown here are what cannot be made through traditional techniques . A good example of this customization is hearing aids . More than 10 million people already use 3D printed hearing aids, all made according to the size of their ears , ” said Wim Michiels , executive vice-president at Materialise NV .
“ You can produce anything whenever and wherever you like . You don’t need to set up production lines for pieces that only need a limited amount of products . Setting up a production line is a lot of work . It takes a long time and is very expensive for a limited number of pieces , ” said Michiels .
Kim Francois , managing director of Materialise China , said their European and American clients have already taken the next step toward additive manufacturing with small series production such as hearing aids .What is mainly talked about in the text ?
A. The development of 3D printing .
B. A 3D printing show in Shanghai .
C. Varieties of items printed in 3D .
D. The company Materialise NV .According to Behrokh Khoshnevis , what is the main difficulty in printing buildings ?
| A.Time . | B.Technique . | C.Space . | D.Material . |
The example of 3D printed hearing aids was mentioned to show that ______________ .
| A.these items used to be impossible to make |
| B.3D printing has a large market share |
| C.3D hearing aids help people hear better |
| D.people need different sized hearing aids |
According to the text , 3D printing is suitable for ___________ .
| A.mass production |
| B.making small items |
| C.small series production |
| D.reducing production costs |