What is 3D Printing: Technologies, Markets & Key Materials

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is one of the most interesting manufacturing technologies around, and it is growing right before our eyes, with new developments and markets coming quickly. Chances are you’ve heard a lot abut 3D printing, but might be wondering what you can use it for.

Basically, 3D printing is the building of an object layer by layer. The 3D printer analyzes the computer model of the item, and deposits material layer by layer until it is completed. Its sweet spot at present is prototyping, but 3D printing has been used in numerous applications. One such area is medical, where human organs and prosthetics are produced. Another is healthcare to monitor those previously mentioned organs with devices like gluscose monitors.

It is also a sizable market. Allied Market Research places the 3D printing market at $13.2 billion in 2020, growing to $94 billion by 2030.

The History of 3D Printing

3D printing has actually been around longer than most people think. Some academics trace its development back to 1984, when Charles “Chuck”