A glimpse into the bright future of 3D printing technology
Over the last decades the progress in 3d printing technology has been remarkable. More and more additive manufacturing technologies have been developed engaging more and more enterprises and individuals across all the industry fields.
3D printing technology in various sectors
Construction
We have seen that a start-up Apis Corp. recently printed a house within 24 hours in a town near Moscow while another company Cazza stated it will soon build in Dubai the first 3D printed skyscraper in the world. University of Nottingham quite recently announced a new method for embedding electronic circuits in 3d printed objects while at the same time other researchers in the same university try to form new metals and plastics in order to improve additive manufacturing
performance. Rolls Royce is already using 3d printed components in the UltraFan engine which has more than 20,000 parts. After the first tests the
results of the printed parts were impressive.
Automotive
Meanwhile, in automotive industry Volkswagen claimed that they have started collaborating with HP to produce
high quality metallic parts by Metal Jet 3D printing method. VW stated that it massively assisted them as they didn’t have to manufacture the tools to produce
these vehicle components. Last but not least it was recent times that Siemens and the energy giant E.ON were celebrating one year of service of a 3d printed
gas turbine burner which run for 8,000 hours without any failure.
Fashion
In the fashion universe, 3d printing technology is becoming increasingly popular, giving the capability to designers to be more creative by producing 3d printed
clothes and accessories. Some brands offer the chance to their customers to order their unique customise clothing pieces.
Education
In the education sector, we have seen schools and colleges accommodating some lessons of STEM field with the assistance of 3d printers. The teachers are
now able to demonstrate how quickly a design can move from concept stage to a real prototype in no time stimulating the design skills of the students. In education, 3d printing can open new possibilities for learning empowering the students to engage more with materials, geometries, experiments, colours and textures.
Robotics
In robotics industry, more and more 3d printed robots in the industrial and manufacturing sectors are now integrated to form an automatic production
system exceeding the limitations of time and movement as they operate tirelessly and accurately. The use of robotics in the industrial sector allows to
handle larger and heavier parts in multiple axes into the space and be more efficient than ever.
Apart from the industrial robots though there is massive progress in the robotic industry applications in general. A team of great experts at Atlantic University in
Florida have designed Astro, a 3d printed robodog which has artificial Intelligence (AI) and learning capabilities and is able to hear and see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZTiaj4PU_4&feature=emb_title.
Looking forward in robotics, it is appreciated by everyone in the 3d printing world that artificial intelligence combined with advanced additive manufacturing will push the limits to form the integrated technology of the future.
The examples of the usage of 3d printed parts globally are endless and the impact this technology can do is growing fast. Specialists in 3d printing across the world claim that even more sectors will move on and unlock the usage of additive manufacturing technologies for their purposes. Some experts also believe that 3d printing technology will very soon have such an impact in engineering, life sciences, healthcare, robotics and education sectors that will become a vital technology. 3d printing financial slice will gradually grow in every developed country’s Gross Domestic Product. This necessity will increase year by year dramatically especially as the environmental footprint of CO2 emissions must urgently be reduced.
