One of the technologies that have a very bright future ahead is 3D printing technology. It is certain that this technology is going to be a powerful force that will shape the future of the manufacturing industry. It will be used in almost every imaginable field and from health care to aeronautics; most industries will be using it for large-scale and faster, cheaper, and more precise manufacturing of products. There is no doubt about the fact that it is indeed the technology of the future of 3D Printing.
The evolution of 3D printing in recent years
The recent past has seen a great improvement in the field of printing technology. Gone are the days when it was thought to be useful only for faster prototyping due to its slow speed and limited printing capabilities. The scene is changing as 3D printing technology is evolving into a sustainable and cost-effective technology for prototyping and manufacturing physical products.
However, this change hasn’t just happened overnight. It is the result of many years of research, innovation, and experimentation that has brought about this revolution in the 3D printing technology.
One of the main areas that have shown massive growth is the increased speed of printing that is achieved by the modern 3D printing machines. Another one is the advancements in the printing technology itself. Also, the improved capacity of the 3D printers to handle different types of materials for printing has greatly increased its use and value in diverse applications across various industries.
These three important factors are jointly responsible for taking the 3D printing industry forward to newer heights of innovation and creative application of the technology in different fields. As the competition in the industry is growing and so is the investment, the 3D printing technology is all set to reform and rewrite the future of 3D Printing in the custom manufacturing.
Application in direct metal printing
3D printing has great application in the field of direct metal printing. Many modern technologies are currently being used for this purpose among which 3D printing is one of the most effective and economical. With the passing of each day, this kind of printing is getting faster and also improving its capabilities in many ways. For instance, the number of metal alloys it can print has been increasing. The performance and quality of printing are also higher.
Another important advantage of 3D printing is that we can achieve great results with complex printing tasks which are almost impossible using traditional methods for design and manufacturing. This opens a world of possibilities for newer and more sophisticated application of this evolving technology in various fields such as aerospace technology, automobile technology, and mechatronics industries, where minute details and precision printing is extremely important.
Improvement in the printing speed
3D printing has been long known for its geometric accuracy. However, the speed of printing has been a major concern for decades. New emerging technologies are adding the capability to the 3D printing devices to print at a much higher speed as compared to their traditional counterparts. These technologies make it possible to print a centimeter per minute.
This phenomenal speed is undoubtedly going to revolutionize the printing world as the time from the design phase of a product to prototyping and the finally actually manufacturing it will be reduced dramatically. What took days will be accomplished in a matter of a few minutes. Due to improvement in the printing speed, the future of 3D printing is moving ahead.
Application in the healthcare industry
With the rapid growth of 3D printing technology, it will be used more and more extensively in the healthcare industry where accuracy and precision can be a matter of life and death. 3D printing is being used for creating dental implants and fixtures, hearing aids, various types of medical and surgical tools, etc.
The new technology will allow doctors to design and create prosthetics and other expensive medical devices and material easily, with great precision and in a cost-effective way. Needless to say, this will reduce the cost of treatments for the patient considerably.
A recent study suggests a whopping 11.7% growth until we reach the year 2024 in the application of 3D printing technology in the healthcare market.
A boon for startups
Not long ago, manufacturing a product was quite a costly affair. The cost of production was so high that startups usually refrained from investing money on large-scale production and innovation as it could be risky in terms of return of investments with their limited budgets and resources. This resulted in bigger companies and larger production houses maintaining control over innovation and large-scale production when it came to creating newer products.
This scenario is rapidly changing with the new and advanced 3D printing technology evolving rapidly to become the mainstay of innovative product manufacturing across many industries. The power of manufacturing and innovation is shifting from these big players to the smaller fishes in the manufacturing market startups.
3D printing has made designing and prototyping of new products comparatively cheaper allowing startups the opportunity to break into the bigger market of manufacturing without having to worry too much about raising a huge amount of capital to compete with the bigger manufacturers. Therefore, if you are looking at your future in the manufacturing industry, then this is the right way to start with as there is massive success growth in the future of 3D Printing.
Future of 3D printing technology
Combined with other advanced technologies like cloud technology, IoT connectivity, robotics technology, etc. 3D printers are all poised to become a powerful catalyst in molding the future of printing and manufacturing. It is being used even in schools and public libraries where kids are learning this technology including the 3D printing hardware as well as software to find newer and innovative applications in their learning and other activities.
Conclusion
3D printing has been around for decades, yet its true potential is starting to be realized in the past few years. It has been underestimated as a mere stunt by many in a not so distant past. However, those days are gone and now this powerful technology is turning to be an unstoppable force that is and will continue to find newer applications in almost every imaginable field in the coming future. Overall the future of 3D Printing is so bright, therefore, you must take action towards this technology.
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