Among all the major inventions shaping the 21st century, 3D printing has been the most profound one. From furniture to medicines, almost every industry has felt its impact in some way. And, through customization, additive manufacturing seems to be making great impressions on users across different niches. The higher the demand for tailored products will be, the greater popularity 3D printing will enjoy.
Fortunately, the need for personalized goods and parts is not going to subside any sooner. The desire to create difficult crafts and components, not possible otherwise, has led to heightened interest in 3D printing. It is no more limited to a few industry-grade materials, but these machines now can print with a plethora of choices. Starting from plastics, users can 3D print with fabrics, metals, and even stem cells.
Certainly, this technology is taking every share of fame from those developing parallelly. But isn’t that completely okay till we are able to reap huge benefits out of the same? So, read the article to know why 3D printing has been called the most revolutionary technology of the 21st century.
How 3D Printing is Defining Industries in the 21st Century?
Technologies that can nudge multiple sectors through its development have the ability to change the world, both for good and bad. In the case of 3D printing, we can thankfully say that it would help industries enormously.
The advancement that spurred the later part of the 20th century, could not make it to the masses until early 2010s. After it did, there was no looking back. Being the most intriguing technology, additive manufacturing seems to be the highly disruptive inventions of all times.
So, where are the applications of the technology hidden? For your surprise, it’s everywhere. Whatever industry you choose, 3D printing is capable of impacting it, directly or indirectly. Here are a few examples for better visualization:
Fashion Industry: From custom made jewelleries to beautiful dresses, 3D printers’ involvement within the fashion industry isn’t ignorable. Not only is designing of wonderful and complex designs possible, users can put their preferences first when planning the complete design. In other words, and according to pick3dprinter, custom made designs are easily possible with the help of this technology.
Entertainment Industry: This is a huge industry that has always been triggered by creativity. 3D printers are helpful in creating props and light weight models and costumes and what not. These machines are also helping movie makers to create monsters’ getup without any hassle.
Medical Industry: We are not anymore limited to replacing a few tissues using 3D printers. But have grown exponentially to be able to produce faux organs. Also, the technology is allowing surgeons to practice on building custom parts before operating to eliminate any chance for unexpected situations. These test models ultimately help practitioners to visualize complications in advance.
Engineering Industry: 3D printing has been able to help this industry at length. From smaller visual prototypes to scale models, and functional prototypes, 3D printers have been able to change the entire way the industry operates.
There are plenty of other ways this technology has been rooting among other sectors. From automobile to dental to many other industries, additive manufacturing is making significant changes to the way production was perceived once.
Prospects of 3D Printing in 21st Century and Beyond
Because of its unmatched potential and the capability to help numerous industries for a greater good, 3D printing is believed to stay for a very long time. And, companies will keep employing the technology and accepting its merits at a very fast rate.
According to a research, the 3D printing market is believed to increase by 14% from 2020 to 2027. In 2018, there were 1.42 million units of 3D printers shipped. However, the same research reveals that this number will reach 8.04 million units by 2027.
The talks are signalling towards a future, highly influenced by 3D printing technology. And, we will be waiting to experience the change eagerly. Given the accessible and cheaper desktop 3D printers, we may be witnessing an increased number of home users too.
Recent Developments Around 3D printing
It would be wise to look at the different developments taking place currently to better understand the future of this promising technology. And, the most captivating innovation lies within the medical industry. Being able to help medical practitioners solve tasks effortlessly have certainly made 3D printing, the talk of the town.
These machines are no more limited to producing inorganic parts, but the complete opposite of the same. Yes, we are talking about stem cells. Not just that, if physicians are to be believed, soon the genetically tailored organs along with tissues will change aspects of organ donation completely.
Parallelly, the development of medical devices such as hearing aids have already been helping the industry to flourish exponentially. From prosthetics to skin grafting, 3D printing is assisting the medical industry at par.
One more development within this niche is the innovation of individually-tailored medication. The success of which would mean no more need for taking multiple prescribed pills for treating diseases. However, 3D printing one pill can serve the need for multiple ones. And, the work isn’t just in papers. Researchers have been able to produce a 3D printed capsule, called ‘polypill’ which works for five different forms of medication.
Further, the pharmaceutical industry is aiming to double that number, from five to ten, or even more in these polypills.
Apart from the medical industry, the food sector has also seen huge advancements with 3D printing. From deserts to pizza, a lot of dishes are now turning to plates directly from 3D printers. And, we expect to see a lot more developments in the coming future.
The Conclusion
3D printing has been able to create huge impacts on users through its consistent performance and ability to build things that are impossible to design otherwise. Hence, we can consider this technology to keep impressing more companies with time and sooner getting into the mainstream. Who knows, you may be using your personal 3D printer for creating stuff at home?
