3D Printing

"3D Printing" is a process that can be used to produce three-dimensional objects using similar mechanics to traditional 2D inkjet printing. The field of 3D printing has seen many developments in the past decade; 3D printers are now commercially available and is being used in a number of areas.

The process uses a modern printer head to deposit or 'set' material onto a printing bed, which is lowered each pass such that the 3D object is built up layer by layer. This process can allow the production of almost any object designed using CAD (Computer-Aided Design).

Here is a video of a 3D printer:

Currently, 3D printing is commonly used as a method of prototyping, e.g. prototype aircraft components for wind tunnel testing, designing of new jewelery, production of art/sculpture.

A recent article in The Economist ("The Printed World" - 10 Feb 2011), however, pointed out that whilst the technology is still in its relative infancy, advancement in this area could also revolutionise manufacturing. For example, rather than products being mass manufactured at a factory and then distributed to retail stores, a product could be customised and "3D Printed" in the back of the shop. 3D printing could also open up new doors for inventors and entrepreneurs who now have a much lower cost of entry into manufacturing their new product.

Should 3D printing continue to grow in adoption, it could significantly change the way in which engineers work in the future.

If you'd like to know more about 3D printing, Z Corp., a manufacturer of 3D printers and related products, has a great website detailing some of their technology: http://www.zcorp.com