3D printing feels surreal. Yes, the technology has been around for a while, but it still feels like something straight out of science fiction. The ever-growing number of 3D printing applications doesn’t help, only makes it feel even less real.
You might not know, but 3D printing has been around for a long time. Before it gained its fame, brought by the spread of portable 3D printers, manufacturers have been using it for decades.
Now, the technology has found a way into almost any industry, all thanks to its flexibility and versatility. It has opened up new possibilities to different professionals. 3D printing has also helped to solve some problems the medical professionals have been struggling with for years.
As time goes by, no material becomes completely off-limit and no design — impossible. It’s the true power of 3D printing and it’s yet to be unleashed.
For all the people who are us curious about the technology as we are, here is NDigitec’s guide to the most revolutionary 3D printing applications of our age. Some of them will make you go ‘aha!’
Industrial
Thanks to popular media coverage, 3D printing applications are often seen as fun and playful. But it is far from being the truth. 3D printing is getting more and more attention from the engineers.
The growing interest if understandable. With the help of a 3D printer, you can print, replace, and create from scratch elements of your machine. The part is exciting. It allows people to create and design custom parts quickly and effectively, even if all they need is one copy. What is also exciting is that 3D printing is not only convenient. It helps eliminate mistakes, considering the parts are printed with specific measurements.
Medical
Wonders became possible in the medical industry thanks to 3D printing. Yes, it has already solved many problems but the best think about 3D printing in healthcare is what it promises. If the technology keeps on developing with a rate it does soon we can save thousands if not millions of lives.
What can it do, you might think. And while the correct answer is many things, we are most excited about 3D printers potential to solve the problem with organ donorship.
Thanks to the development of the technology it is might soon be possible to create almost any tissue in the human body from the body of the host. That way we not only will eliminate the need to wait for another person’s organ, but also avoid organ rejection altogether.
The 3D printing applications that are a little farther away is bioprinting or printing of cells. We hope that one day, we’ll be able to 3D print bones and creating custom medicine for all kinds of illnesses at the comfort of your home.
Though none of the applications we have talked about above are in use already, scientists are working hard to make these dreams a reality.
Fashion
3D printing allows you to create items of any shape and size from the comfort of your own home. That property of 3D printing screams ‘clothes and shoes’. No wonder the fashion industry has been looking closely into the technology, constantly coming up with creative ways to use the machines.
Throughout the last years, designers have been using 3D printed items mainly for show and press’s attention. But it is not the only application. The best thing about 3D printed accessories, shoes, and clothes is how technology allows us to rethink the form of conventional items.
Think about — with 3D printing you can print intricate models and designs that would have taken ages, to carve out with your hands or other machines. If the fashion industry continues adapting technology, we will see a drastic change in the way we ‘do clothes’ soon.
Utilities
3D printing allows you to create custom models — be it bowls, cups, mugs, and other forms all tailored to your needs. Cool, right?
It’s the application of 3D printing the public is most excited about and we can see why. With the help of 3D printing, you can not only print conventional forms but also create unique models with designs you would have never imagined were possible.
You can create custom, personalized holders for USB, and creative headphone keepers, and fun little gadgets like that, making your everyday life more comfortable.
Repair
Imagine you could print the broken part of your TV or remote controller at home, almost immediately?
3D printing has made it easier to print parts for machines that are no longer in production. The printers can also help produce details that would take long to arrive. One more problem solved, all thanks to the smart technology.
While it might not make sense to buy a 3D printer if you just need to fix your coffee machine, you might benefit from the machine if you are a small business doing repairs. Many small machine shops and individuals that do repairs already use the technology in their work.
Food
For when it comes to the food industry, the 3D printing is still in its infancy. Yes, we have learned how to melt sugars and chocolates to produce impressive forms, but scientists are sure we can do much more. Many researchers are looking into ways of creating food from scratch using micronutrients like protein, fat, and carbs.
The breakthrough isn’t far away. Many think once we figure out what to do about things like shelf-life, microbiological contamination, printing temperature, and textures and learn how to make 3D printed food safer, we can start producing original foods, full of nutrients we need and without the ones, we do not. Which sounds Spy Kids-level cool.
The future of 3D printing applications
Will all of our homes have a 3D printer in a couple of years? Or will it stay the luxury of the few? Maybe is its main application going to be medical? It’s difficult to say which of this revolutionary 3D printing applications will off and which will die out soon.
What we know, however, and can say with certainty, is that the technology isn’t going anywhere. It is here to solve real problems and make our lives a little easier. And we, us the company that appreciates innovativeness, cannot help but feel excited.
