3D printing is here and its potential is incredible. 2 out of 3 manufacturers have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, 3D printing in some form. Of those who haven’t implemented any 3D printing techniques yet, 15.5% plan to implement it in the next 3 years, and only 8.6% have no plans at all to implement 3D printing.

In the aerospace industry, 3D printing has the potential to save as much as $3.4 billion in maintenance, repair & operation costs. These are incredible savings and will drastically improve the performance of the aerospace industry.

How 3D printing works is fascinating. A person can simply map out on a computer how they want something to look and print it. As the item is being printed, the different layers are automatically fused together to create a single 3D object.

There are a few challenges faced by the 3D printing industry but these will likely be eradicated in time. Things like high labor costs may cause a problem and 100% accuracy is not a guarantee when printing 3D objects at this moment in time.

A variety of items have already been printed in 3D. These include things like crowns for chipped teeth, skulls, aircraft parts and even items like dresses, high-heeled shoes, and chocolate have been printed in 3D.

There are a variety of benefits of 3D printing. One huge benefit is of course the ability to create a concept quickly. Previously, it would have taken months for an idea to become a reality but now a concept can be a real thing in a few days.

People are no longer asking what 3D printing is and are shifting their focus to the implications of its growth. For some, it can be hard to comprehend items being printed in 3D when we’re so used to our printers performing basic functions, but it’s here and the technology will benefit us all.

Check out this infographic from Colourfast for more detailed information on the growth of 3D printing and the impact it is having across industries. Is the company you work for embracing 3D printing?