3D printing is still a very new technology. In fact, it is so new that, as yet, it is still unclear exactly how it is likely to shape the design and production of goods in the future. The term printing is somewhat misleading as it often makes people instantly conjure up a machine that will print an item onto paper in three dimensions, such as holograms and the like. In reality though, the actually process is a far more impressive one.
Currently, a 3D printer would be used primarily to undertake rapid prototyping, allowing designed products to be realised in different materials and in different ways to more easily understand the practicalities and, more importantly, the benefits and drawbacks of each.
Using CAD design facilities, the 3D printer will manufacture a product by using a given material and forming the designed item a single layer at a time. Whilst this will not be suitable for all objects (of which some may need very specific attention to be made by hand), a huge number of different products can now be tested using 3D printing.
Its benefits are numerous – it can be far quicker and easier than making certain items by hand as well, as allowing computers to create items that might otherwise be too intricate to create. The ability to have such rapid prototyping can save companies a great deal of time and money when trying to understand how to maximise the potential of certain designs.
Ultimately, such printing techniques take raw material and form them into 3D solutions that can be used to more fully understand how a product will work in practice. However, it is also being touted as a potential way of engineering tissue too.
A 3D printer is currently something that can simply save time and money for organisations looking to prototype a product. However, the future of it could end up being far more important to us all.
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