Emanuel Sachs developed 3D printing in the 1980s and 1990s at MIT by dropping liquid binder into a powder bed to create three-dimensional objects. This major invention may not have been possible without Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the printing press in 1440, which used movable metal type and replica casting to reproduce text more quickly and in greater volumes than previous methods. Over five centuries later, Gutenberg's printing press enabled the widespread dissemination of ideas and is considered one of the most important and impactful inventions in history.

1. Kristopher Dreyer

2. A professor of mechanical engineering, Emanuel Sachs was
credited in 2019 with developing 3D printing in one of MIT’s labs.
This invention works by dropping liquid binder material into a
powder bed and creating a three-dimensional product. Developed
out of research from as early as the 1980s and 1990s, the 3D
printer is continuing to evolve to the point that all sorts of objects
can now be printed.

3. Interestingly enough, this major invention might not exist without
a mechanical engineering marvel created more than five centuries
earlier. While mechanically reproduced text has existed in China
for at least a millennium, Europe would not be introduced to it
until Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440 in
France.

4. Originally from Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg would not perfect the
press until 1450, when it was first used commercially. Unlike its
predecessor which was made from wooden blocks, this version
used metal and letters to create movable type. The technology
relied on replica casting which reversed the letters in brass, and
then made replicas of these molded letters using molten lead.

5. According to National Geographic, researchers think that
Gutenberg used sand to shape the metal molds. Afterward, the
letters were placed together so they fit uniformly to create level
lines of letters and uniform columns atop of media.

6. However, central to this invention was the fact that Gutenberg
also created his own ink to be used with the metal letters. He built
the original device using a wine press, printing on paper also
made on the press.

7. This technology allowed Gutenberg to produce content more
quickly, and with funding through partner Johannes Fust, the two
were able to print books, pamphlets, calendars, and other
content. He was able to even produce a Bible containing 1,300
pages that used Gothic type with 42 lines to each page. Of the
180 copies that were made, 60 were made on vellum, a type of
parchment made from calf skin.

8. Named the Gutenberg Bible, the book required 50,000 sheets of
paper using 300 metal block letters. Over five centuries later,
there are still copies of this particular text. Twenty-one copies of
the standard version exist, and four copies of the book printed on
vellum are known.

9. In 1455, Gutenberg had to close up shop when his partner
foreclosed on him. Worse yet, all of his printing equipment went
to Fust and former calligrapher Peter Schoeffer as result of the
lawsuit. Five years later, Gutenberg printed a Latin dictionary
called the Catholicon, after which he did not print anything else.

10. His invention, however, spread throughout Europe starting in
1465. Italian printers used the technology in trade, and the
technology was used to print books for the Sorbonne in France.
Some time later it showed up in Portugal, England, and Belgium.

11. His invention, however, spread throughout Europe starting in
1465. Italian printers used the technology in trade, and the
technology was used to print books for the Sorbonne in France.
Some time later it showed up in Portugal, England, and Belgium.

12. The printing press is considered one of the most important
inventions of its time, for it enabled the dissemination of ideas
throughout Europe. With a means for communicating to the
people, the printing press was credited with loosening the iron
grip that European power structures had on the masses and is
considered a watershed moment in mechanical engineering.

13. Moreover, it would be the beginnings of another tool of mass
communication, the newspaper. Considered the first newspaper,
Relation was established in 1605 in Strasbourg, Germany.