Hello dear friends!

3D printing will in the future revolutionize various sectors. From the manufacture of houses, objects, marketing material, small parts needed for everyday products, "organic products", food, clothing, automotive parts, etc. The list continues to grow, with equipment's with different characteristics and different purposes.

After conducting a study on the general panorama of current 3D printing, I analyze that at the moment there are 4 sectors that have driven the advancement of this technology:

Consumer Printers

At this point I include small printers capable of printing small parts with more or less resolution and more or less speed depending on the model and type of technology used by the printer manufacturer.

Here we can predict a massification similar to what happened when paper printers began to appear, where it was quickly possible to purchase for personal use. In the future it will not be strange to repair the cover of the command that broke, the mouse button, etc. Manufacturers will arrange the files so that each person can print the necessary parts in a comfortable way and thus eliminating a great cost for the manufacturers.

These printers also enable the creation of prototypes, they are an ideal tool for students and teachers of the most varied areas.

Industrial Printers

This is a range of printers already developed with capacity of printing metal, resins, plastic, among other materials. This range of printers is another big industry that is boosting 3D printing. There are several companies that use 3D printing to improve their manufacturing processes, development, studies, etc. They can see the cases of Ferrari, NASA, SPACE X, History Channel (Vikings series), etc.

They can also see printers capable of printing giant size models!

 

What all these companies have in common is the use of 3D printing to reduce the workflow required to create parts and test them. The possibility of continuous manufacture of parts. The ability to test prototypes / parts more accurately and quickly.

Printers for medical purposes

The medical sector is already today one of the most developed in the field of 3D printing, and it is already possible to print titanium prostheses completely customized for each person. It is also widely used in the printing of dental prostheses. This sector also already has several projects, some already functional, others not yet, for the printing of functional organs.

Private Projects 

Several companies have invested in the development of new equipment for the most varied applications. From the manufacture of concrete houses, 3D color printers, ceramics, nanoprinting.

Conclusion

3D printing began to be developed around 30 years ago, but only in the last 5/10 began the real revolution of this sector. There are still a number of obstacles to overcome, such as color printing, the ease combination of multiple materials to produce parts in only one piece and/or in one equipment in an industrialized way, the price of industrial solutions, among others.

I believe that in the near future it will be possible to see the vast majority of factories and people with 3D printing equipment.