5 Most Applications of 3D Printing Technology

While 3D printing has been around 30 years, its popularity and usage increased in recent year. Earlier 3D printing was costly as cost of 3D printer and filaments used were costly. In recent years there is a lot of improvement in technology and variations in both the machines and material used, thereby cost have come down, making 3D printing applications more accessible and cost-effective, across all industries and education. To know 5 most applications of 3D Printing Technology read my blog till the end.

Myself Ravindra Gavde, Next Gen 3D Guide, founder of Facebook group "Mission 3D for Generation Next" and my mission in coming 3 years is to prepare career seeking 10000 students for future opportunities in 3D Printing.

1. Prototyping and manufacturing

3D printing was first developed for faster prototyping. With conventional injection molded prototype it cost thousands of rupees and also takes weeks to produce a single mould. Again after making 1st sample piece if any changes are to be made, die is to be modified, then again take sample. Go on till the part is perfect. The rework of die costs lot and the die is with lot of reworks, looks shabby too. where as 3D printing technology reduces the time to make sample piece after making a 3D model on CAD software and make the part on 3D printer. Any changes required can be made on CAD model and again 3D print the sample. Once approved and finalised do reverse engineering and make injection moulding dies. Which can be made in hours instead of weeks and that too at the fraction of the cost as compared to conventional method.

2. Construction

3D printing can be used for fabricating buildings are construction components. Extrusion (concrete/cement, foam, wax and polymers), bonding powder (reactive bond, sintering, polymer bond) and additive welding are used for construction. The first building was constructed in Russia in 2017. More than 500 elements of the wall where printed in a shop and assembled on site, followed by roof top and interiors for around 3,000 sqft. This project has passed all building requirements, for design, building permit, registration, to connection of all engineering systems. Today a family lives in it.

3. Art and jewellery

Nowadays 3D printed parts are used for art and jewellery products. Creative design not possible with conventional jewellery making methods can be easily 3D printed. Jewellers as per individual taste can be made, customised pieces at lower cost, using 3D printing materials such as PLA, Gold and Platinum. Artist all over the world use metal 3D print to create beautiful intricate pieces, Sculpture, Ceramic Vase. Recently the Prado museum in Spain had exhibition of paintings of well-known artists rendered in 3D. The purpose was to allow blind persons to feel this work that were previously inaccessible to them.

4. Education

Students can prepare for their future by making prototypes without expensive tooling. Student learn about 3D applications by designing and making model they can physically hold. Companies such as MakerBot offer certification courses in 3D printing application for teachers and students. Students from science can create and study cross-section of organs in the human body. Chemistry student can make 3D models of molecules and chemical compounds. Graphic design students can make models with complex workable parts.

5. Medicine

In last several years many applications of 3D printing in medicine has been developed. Bioprinting is one of them, where bio materials such as cells and growth factors are combined to create tissue-like structure imitating their natural counterparts to medical devices like prothetics. It is difficult and expensive to produce prosthetics that fits a patient. But by 3D printing technology it is lower in cost and also new prosthetics can be 3D printed for growing children's every few months. 3D printing is used for producing porous metal orthopedic implants, which easily integrate with the patient's own natural bones, allowing them to grow into the implant.

These are the few of the countless applications of 3D printing technology from Prototype to Construction to Education to Medicine to Arts, which has huge impact on world today.

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