Only the imagination, money and materials can limit what can be created with 3D printing. Over the last few years, 3D printing has come into its own. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printers can print almost anything from car and airplane parts to textiles, toys and even food. The number of industries utilizing 3D printing is expansive covering everything from aerospace and defense to automotive, healthcare, entertainment, consumer and architecture – with a few other categories in there. 3D printing enables companies to manufacture customized products without the need for special tooling, reducing the cost of complexity and the time to market.

3D printing is achieved using an additive process, where successive layers of material are laid down in different shapes. This is relatively new technology. Although the first 3D printers introduced in 1984, most only became commercially viable around 2010.

To achieve this additive process, a wide variety of technologies are used in 3D printing and digital manufacturing – differing only is the way layers are deposited and the materials that are used. The most common processes are selective laser sintering (SLS), fused deposition modeling (FDM), and direct metal sintering (DMS) which melt or soften material to produce the layers; while stereolithography (SLA) cures photo-reactive resin with a UV laser to create layers.

In all cases, material which ranges from ABS plastic, PLA, polyamide (nylon), glass filled polyamide, epoxy resins, silver, titanium, steel, wax, photopolymers, polycarbonate as well as many others starts as a liquid form or a material powder form. The bonding process can happen by melting and depositing or depositing then melting. In the case of food it typically goes from liquid to solid.

Over the past few years and similar to the introduction of any new technology; 3D printing has experienced an evolution, with improvements in the processes, functionality, materials and use cases.

So now that we’ve gotten those basics out of the way – let’s start to talk about the cool stuff.

Food

Anyone who is a foodie would appreciate what can be done with 3D printing to enhance the culinary experience. In fact, it’s like having your own personal Willy Wonka.

3D printing allows chocolate, candy, and pasta to take on different shapes and sculptured forms when extruded from food printers and enables chefs to create new textures that would not be possible via traditional methods.

3D Systems announced a multi-year joint development agreement with The Hershey Company to explore ways to use 3D printing technology to either develop new types of candies or improve the manufacturing process. Personally, I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

Another company, Choc Edge, has already introduced a 3D chocolate printer, but its focus is more on creating designs and illustrations rather than individual pieces of 3D candy.

In 3D chocolate printing, chocolate is melted, tempered and deposited into 2D cross-section on a substrate (paper, plate, etc.) like a printer printing a 2D image onto paper. The substrate is then lowered by a layer thickness and the deposition process repeats layer-by-layer to form a solid 3D chocolate product that is defined by a 3D computer design.

3D Systems has also introduced its ChefJet series which can print uniquely shaped sugar confections in different flavors or to print custom cake toppers providing an architectural element to the design.

Natural Machines’ Foodini goes beyond confections and will actually print food such as pasta, pizza, burgers and crackers. The food substance comes out of an extruder, or nozzle, that is attached to a motor. The nozzle extrudes food in a preprogrammed pattern, to guarantee that foods are even and perfectly formed. Foodini’s value proposition is to remove the difficult and time-consuming parts of food preparation.

Now everyone can impress their guests with homemade raviolis!

Healthcare

One of the first industries to embrace 3D printing has been healthcare. Already widely used to manufacture hearing aids, 3D printing is being used for dental implants, prosthetics, joint replacements, anatomical models, surgical guides to implantable devices and the range of applications is impressive.

One of the most fascinating areas is related to surgery. Doctors are using 3D printing to create models for surgical procedures to improve performance, reduce risks and the amount of time a patient needs to be in surgery. By using CT scans of the patient – doctors are able to accurately replicate a physical model to essentially rehearse surgery before the patient was under anesthesia.

For anyone that has ever had orthodontics – you know the worst part is having the impression taken of your teeth. From here a cast is made which is used for diagnostics, patient records, treatment planning, fabrication of custom trays, fabrication of dentures, crowns or other prostheses and orthodontics. With 3D printing and digital orthodontic, doctors can now simply take a 3D scan of a patients mount to create the cast – saving time, money, and space.

In another application, a team of doctors at Washington University in St. Louis has developed a 3D printed device that can predict heart attacks and treat some cardiac ailments using printed electrical components. Here is where wearable tech and 3D Printing converge. In this scenario – they start with a CT scan of a patient’s heart. Then they 3D print a silicon membrane to be fitted around the heart’s outer layer and print sensors onto the soft and flexible membrane to that monitor for signs of trouble and deliver electrical pulses to the heart to treat an unstable heartbeat. Finally, they surgically wrap it around the heart, and monitor the heart’s vitals or measuring troponin levels, a key diagnosis for an impending heart attack. Although this has not been used on humans yet – it hold significant promise for future application.

Fashion

How about a watch, a dress, a pair of shoes and some jewelry – all made via 3D printing? That’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. A number of fashion houses are experimenting with 3D printing to create new fabrics and fashions.

Pringle of Scotland has utilized the selective laser sintering (SLS) process to produce flexible 3D printed fabrics that move like traditional fabric and are often added as a visual enhancement to other fabrics.

Designer Bryan Oknyansky has created Titanium 3D printed shoes as well as an entire line of fully customizable 3D printed chunky platform high heels made from eco-friendly bioplastic. Consumers can select the colors and other elements to have a truly custom shoe made for them.

A number of companies have jumped on the jewelry bandwagon – letting customers select existing designs or create their own and have it printed in silver, metal, or plastic. In fact, Pinterest has a whole board dedicated to 3D jewelry.

Fun & Games

3DMe allows a consumer to choose a figure, upload a photo and have their own face rendered on a figurine. Perhaps you want a bobblehead – headbobble.com offers that option.

Maybe music is your thing? How about a 3D printed guitar, drum set or keyboard? ODD Guitars offer those – using a mix of 3D printing and off-the-shelf hardware – providing the ultimate is customization for the consumer – plus they are pretty cool looking.

Possibilities Are Endless

The main benefit of 3D printing is the ability to produce highly customized, low-volume items in significantly shorter time frames. For fashion – it's like having your own personal tailor. Clothing can be designed to fit each individual with minimal alterations. Shoes can be custom fit to your foot and in the color and design of your choice.

3D printing lets manufacturers experiment with new concepts and ideas and produce full scale models – without the need for expensive and special tooling in the manufacturing process. It also enables the ability to manufacture features that would normally be impossible or require hand-finishing. This includes hollow items with complex internal structures, hinges, movable ball and socket joints and intricate patterns – all it takes is a CAD drawing.

For the home, it gets a bit more complicated. 3D printers are expensive and often will not allow more than one material type. Additionally, most consumers are not experts at using CAD programs. But like every industry – there will be a way around those obstacles and consumers will likely be able to print out their own food, confections and jewelry in no time.