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3D Printing: Imagine it and then Build it
Imagine it and then you can make it with 3D printing. Or at least that’s the goal of the technology. And the technology is making steady strides towards realizing that goal. The technology is becoming increasingly more cost effective (at least at the lower end of the market), and it is speeding up dramatically the time for some products to be brought to market.
Gartner forecasts that by 2018 worldwide shipments of 3D printers will be double the number shipped in 2012 and that revenues over that period will increase by 88 percent.
A report from IDTechEx Research expects the total $1 billion 3D printer market of 2012 will reach $20 billion in 2025. Further, the materials used to print, effectively the ‘toners’ for 3D, are a market to themselves and is expected to reach $8.3 billion by 2025. 3D printing materials include silicone, biomaterials, carbon fibre, regolith, ceramics, and graphene.
Two areas where 3D printing is catching on quickly are aerospace and defense manufacturing and biomedical.
Gartner reports increasing use of 3D printing by A&D manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing. 3D printing are expected to be especially important for maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Increasingly, for biomedical purposes, 3D printing is used to create replacement body parts, prostheses, and even viruses.
