3D Printer Applications Today and in the Future

Reverse Engineering Applications

Reverse engineering: being able to manufacture a new, similar product by making use of a pre-existing object. In the images below, we see an example of reverse engineering.

reverse engineering application 3d print 3d scanner

The process of reproducing a plastic button used in electrical/electronics through reverse engineering. (above)

application of reverse engineering in medicine

Recreating the missing portion of a physically damaged skull using reverse engineering, computer-aided design, and rapid prototyping. (above)

prosthesis 3d scanning - printing process

The design process for a right-arm orthosis (above)

example of the use of 3d printing in medicine

A prototype orthosis made with FDM technology and its finished form (above)

Advances in Metal 3D Printing

Metal 3D printing technologies are increasingly being used to manufacture more complex parts in the aerospace and medical sectors.

Increase in Print Speed

New-generation 3D printers can achieve much higher print speeds than traditional FDM methods.

Bioprinting Applications

3D printing technology is being researched in tissue engineering to produce organ prototypes using cells and biomaterials.

3D Printer Technology in the Future

Children will have the chance to make their own toys using a 3D toy data file downloaded from the internet.

Or, when any part of a household appliance breaks, instead of ordering the part directly from the factory, it will be enough to simply pay for the required geometry and material data.

future 3d printer technology. toy made with a 3d printer

Flawless Prosthetics and Implants Will Be Printed

In the field of medicine, patient-specific titanium bone parts, materials suited for orthodontic use, and prosthetic manufacturing will become widespread.

Orthodontics: The specialty branch of dentistry that diagnoses and manages the alignment of misaligned and crowded teeth, and works to prevent and treat this condition.

3d printing technology implant prosthesis

3D Printers Will Save Lives

Scientists at Oxford University have succeeded in producing human stem cells with a 3D printer, to be used in the future for creating organs.

This means that in the near future, organs that people need could be produced with three-dimensional printers in a way compatible with the human body.

printing a human organ with a 3d printer

Personalization Will Become More Important

Thanks to three-dimensional printing technology, the products we buy will be able to have all the features we want.

For example, shoes suited to a person’s foot shape or clothes tailored to their expectations could easily be produced.

Product Innovation Will Accelerate Even Further

From new automobile designs to household goods, design will speed up across a wide range of fields, and so the pace of innovation will increase as well.

A possible error in a product could be spotted and corrected with 3D printers while the product is still at the design stage.

During the 2014 Super Bowl games, shoes were specially designed to give athletes an extra edge in acceleration.

use of 3d printers for innovation. sports shoe

3D Printers Will Play a Critical Role in Architecture and Construction

A California-based architecture firm carried out a project pushing the limits of 3D printers, and the result was load-bearing columns capable of withstanding earthquakes.

In Amsterdam, a company called MX3D used robotic 3D printers to manufacture a bridge over a river for people to walk on.

Every Machine Will Essentially Become a Factory

Let’s explain it this way: right now, when you order a part for a broken appliance at home, you have to reach out to the importer company. If they have the part in stock, they deliver it to you within a few days; if not, they try to source it.

Once 3D printers become widespread, you’ll be able to produce the part at home yourself, if you wish, through the digital sharing of its data.

Or digital service providers will emerge to do this job for you. Just like printing a file you’ve uploaded to a flash drive at a print shop, you’ll send them the digital data and wait for your part to be printed. This will both ease companies’ logistics and storage burdens, and provide convenience for you.

3D Printers Will Also Play an Important Role in Micro-Manufacturing

Using 3D printers, a microscopic race car was produced that is impossible to see with the naked eye and can only be viewed with an electron microscope.

This shows that 3D printers will be effective in micro-manufacturing and R&D work in the future.