5 industries with enormous potential to use 3D printing technology

3D printing has enormous potential. Even though this technology has been around for more than 30 years, now is the time when it truly flourishes. Its development will have a beneficial influence on many sectors of the economy. 3D printing is the future of medicine, education, the building industry and our plans for the conquest of space.

Why is the potential of 3D printing so big?

3D printing technology lets you create objects on demand with the use of a large selection of materials relatively quickly and cheaply. Besides plastics you can also print with metal, concrete and even organic elements. 3D printers such as Zortrax M300 let you create both components to assemble as well as large objects as a whole.

Of course, different applications require different technologies and different printers, but many objects can be printed on readily available plug & play printers, such as those by Zortrax. Thanks to this 3D printing technology is available to almost anyone. Large possibilities and development of 3D printing make it possible to explore new ground in many branches of industry.

3D printing in medicine is a number of improvements and breakthroughs

Medicine is one of the fields which benefit from 3D printing the most. The technology came into medicine in the late 1990s, when 3D printers started to be used for creating well adjusted prostheses. Nowadays, they’re used on a wider scale, 3D printed prostheses are less expensive than traditional ones and better suited to the patient’s needs. 3D printers are also used to make models for preparations before conducting complex surgeries.

Another achievement is using the Zortrax M200 to print elements of a vein winch for facilitating of removing varicose veins in legs. 3D printing is also an assistance for doctors and scientists in their research of the artificial heart. The spectrum of 3D printing in medicine is very wide, it’s present at virtually every stage, from educating students all the way to advanced research on new methods of treatment.

3D printing in education is a new gold standard

3D technology and the availability of 3D printers make it possible to introduce a new approach to education. Pupils can engage their creativity at a very young age through preparing models for printing. At higher levels 3D printing is a source of understanding of mechanics, 3D printers are indispensable during classes in the STEM fields.

Many student research clubs at various universities conduct experiments with 3D printers and achieve success at an international level. 3D printers are not expensive, but they let you do a lot. They give students access to solutions which had been only available to the industry.

3D printing in the building industry: from project to object

Modern constructions benefit from 3D printing from the very beginning. Many architects make use of 3D printing for visualizations of their projects. Thanks to 3D printing very precise scale models can be quickly presented. It’s also possible to create unique elements which, up until now, have always been difficult to make. Moreover, 3D construction is being researched. Robots use 3D technology to make buildings of concrete.

Space wants 3D printers

In 2014 the first printing of a 3D object in space was conducted in the International Space Station. This is one of the most amazing applications of 3D printing technology and it has huge potential. In the future it will relieve space stations of having to wait until new elements are delivered. Some of them will be printed on site. 3D printing will thus facilitate space flight. Food is already being printed, and while nowadays it’s only done for artistic purposes, this is one of the visions of using 3D printing away from Earth.

The technology which changes our lives

For many people 3D printing technology seems distant—it’s the future, but not within reach. However, the technology is here, right next to us. Thanks to 3D printing, new products, prototyped with the use of this technology, can be available on the market, doctors can achieve breakthrough discoveries, the conquest of space is progressing, and we can be jealous of our children who will get their first experience with 3D printers in school.