The media has a tradition of making up fake stories every April 1 as an April Fool's Day joke. ITProPortal, a website that publishes technology-related news articles, had a story on April 1, 2014, about how McDonald's would start 3D printing Big Macs instead of grilling them. The story was intended as a joke, but this idea is now much closer to reality than you might think.
媒體界有項傳統，會在每年四月一日虛構假新聞，作為愚人節的一個玩笑。英國報導科技新聞的網站 ITProPortal，在 2014 年四月一日有一則報導，是關於麥當勞將開始使用 3D 列印方式製作大麥克，而不是用燒烤的。這則報導原本意圖是個玩笑，不過這個想法現在比想像中的還要更接近現實了。
According to recent reports, McDonald's is about to start selling 3D-printed food products. In fact, 3D-printing technology nowadays is pretty advanced. Do you know, for instance, that you could live in a 3D-printed house? For some people in the Netherlands, this is already a reality. Together, the Eindhoven University of Technology and a local construction company created a technique for 3D printing cement. The technique uses a 3D printer's robotic arm to squirt out a special type of cement layer by layer to "print" a wall. The construction company says that the technique reduces costs and environmental damage.
根據近期的報導，麥當勞即將開始販售 3D 列印的食品。事實上，3D 列印科技如今是非常先進了。例如，你知道你有 3D 列印的房子可以住嗎？對荷蘭有些人來說這已經實現了。有家當地建設公司和恩荷芬理工大學已經合作開發出一種 3D 列印水泥的方法。這技術使用一個 3D 列印機的機器手臂，一層一層噴射出一種特別的水泥來「印」出一道牆。建設公司表示這項技術能降低成本並減少對環境的傷害。
You might also consider buying a 3D-printed car to go with your new house. The first 3D-printed car was the Strati. It took 44 hours to print and 3 days to put together when it was presented at a technology show in Chicago a few years ago. Now, manufacturing time is just 22 hours and may soon be as little as ten. 3D printing in the auto industry has become increasingly important. It makes vehicles lighter and stronger, and because it saves time, money, and resources for automakers, it is taking off.
你可能會考慮買一台 3D 列印的車子來搭配你的新房子。第一輛 3D 列印車是 Strati。花了 44 小時列印以及三天時間組裝，在幾年前芝加哥所舉辦的科技展覽會中亮相。現在，製造時間只要 22 小時，而且可能很快就能縮短到 10 小時。3D 列印在汽車產業中已變得越來越重要。它使車輛更加輕巧又更堅固，而且因為它替汽車製造商節省時間、金錢和資源，它現在正夯。
What's more, for decades, 3D printing has been used to save lives and improve medical treatments, and new 3D-printed medical products are appearing all the time. Since 2003, model human organs have been printed for use in medical research and to help doctors plan operations. With "bioprinting," surgeons will soon be able to transplant actual 3D-printed body parts. In the future, people who need new organs will not need to rely on organ donors.
更重要的是，3D 列印幾十年來一直用於挽救生命和改善醫療，並且新的醫用 3D 列印產品不斷出現。自 2003 年以來，人體器官模型已經被列印出來用在醫療研究與協助醫師們規劃手術上。藉由「生物列印」，外科醫生很快地將可以移植 3D 列印的真實身體部位。未來，需要新器官的患者將不再需要等待器捐者了。
The 3D-printing revolution is making a huge difference to people's lives, especially in manufacturing and medicine. Believe it or not, that does include food. Many top-rated restaurants have begun using 3D-printed ingredients to prepare meals. A chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain claims that 3D printing improves his creativity. He uses it to make dishes that would not be possible any other way. So, the next time you go to McDonald's, don't be surprised if you see that 3D-printed Big Mac on the menu.
3D 列印革命正在為人們的生活帶來巨大的變化，尤其是在製造和醫療上。信不信由你，食物確實包括在內。許多頂級餐廳已經開始為他們的一些菜餚使用 3D 列印烹飪材料。西班牙一家米其林星級餐廳的廚師表示，3D 列印已經使他的創意有所成長。他運用 3D 列印在其他製作方式無法呈現的料理上。所以，你下次去麥當勞的時候，如果看到 3D 列印大麥克在菜單上不用太驚訝。
