3D printing as a trend is already here but currently it is hugely expensive and not very accessible by your average person. I see a lot of growth in this trend with the advent of low cost and more friendly 3D printers and printing that will enable a lot of small businesses to compete in various manufacturing niches and circles that were previously unattainable. There are currently several projects and companies working on making 3D printers suitable and cheap to be used in households. Currently most 3D printers are used to produce prototypes or moulds.
Desktop 3D printers for home are already a reality and should cost no more than a few hundred dollars by 2015. 3D printers capable of outputting in colour and multiple materials also exist and will continue to improve to a point where functional products will be able to be output.
The feasibility of 3D printing is here to stay with ground breaking medical miracles conducted. An 83 year old women successfully had jaw implants. Experts from the University of Hasselt in Belgium have helped build a 3D printed lower jaw bone for replacement surgery in an 83-year-old woman. It's not only the first 100% customised implant to replace an entire jaw, but the first time a 3D printed prosthetic has been used, the report said. It was made by printing out the mandible with titanium powder. The method was developed by Research Institute BIOMED at Hasselt University, in cooperation with surgeons from the Orbis Medical Center Sittard-Geleen and companies Xilloc Medical BV, Maastricht and Cam bioceramics BV of Leiden.
http://www.ibtimes.com/experts-build-3d-printed-jaw-bone-83-year-old-implant-patient-405446
Automotive specialist use 3D printers to recreate parts that are no longer manufactured. Like the automotive industry, the defense forces also use 3D printers to manufacture obsolete or new parts. 3D printers also help devise model crafts, testing aerodynamics and design before printing the big aircraft with hopefully a larger sized 3D printer as anticipated
At this stage one can predict that 3D printers will be common tools of the electrician, plumber, mechanic, etc. As parts break down, the tradesman can instantly print one off. Comedian Jay Leno owns a number of classic cars that require rare parts or parts that no longer exist. Jay uses a 3D printer to redesign and create these replacement parts as he needs them.
Automotive specialist use 3D printers to recreate parts that are no longer manufactured. Like the automotive industry, the defense forces also use 3D printers to manufacture obsolete or new parts. 3D printers also help devise model crafts, testing aerodynamics and design before printing the big aircraft with hopefully a larger sized 3D printer as anticipated
At this stage one can predict that 3D printers will be common tools of the electrician, plumber, mechanic, etc. As parts break down, the tradesman can instantly print one off. Comedian Jay Leno owns a number of classic cars that require rare parts or parts that no longer exist. Jay uses a 3D printer to redesign and create these replacement parts as he needs them.
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