3D printing technology can be applied to jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic information systems, civil engineering, and many other fields. It is often used in mold making and industrial design to create models or for the direct manufacturing of some products, indicating the technology's growing popularity. 3D printers can also print food, representing a future direction for 3D printing development.
In aerospace technology, engineers at GE's China R&D center are still deeply engaged in 3D printing research. Just recently, they successfully "printed" a crucial component for an aircraft engine using a 3D printer. Compared to traditional manufacturing, this technology will reduce the cost of the part by 30% and shorten the manufacturing cycle by 40%. Before they could even celebrate this achievement, they embarked on a new journey. What is little known is that they have been secretly developing 3D printing technology for ten years.
An engineer named Jim Smith has also used 3D printing technology to create the world's first 3D-printed kayak, which has been successfully launched.
This "kayak" took him 42 days to build using a homemade large-scale 3D printer. It's 5 meters long and assembled from 28 pieces of colored ABS plastic, each component manufactured by the 3D printer and then bolted together.
The manufacturing process, while seemingly simple, was actually quite labor-intensive. From initial planning to completion, it took Smith nearly six years, with final adjustments before launching taking another 40 days. The finished product is 5.08 meters long, 0.52 meters wide, and weighs a total of 29.29 kilograms, including 26.48 kilograms of ABS, 0.86 kilograms of brass threaded parts, and 2.068 kilograms of bolts. The total cost was only $500.
3D printing technology is becoming increasingly mature, and in the future, it's possible that people will use it to build houses, cars, and even more things.
On June 22, 2015, it was reported that the state-owned Rostec state-owned enterprise had manufactured a prototype drone using 3D printing technology. Weighing 3.8 kg and with a wingspan of 2.4 meters, it could fly at speeds of 90 to 100 km/h and had a flight endurance of 1 to 1.5 hours.
Company spokesperson Vladimir Kutakhov stated that the company achieved the leap from concept to prototype in two and a half months, with actual production taking only 31 hours and a manufacturing cost of less than 200,000 rubles (approximately $3,700).
In the music industry, to explore further applications of 3D printers, Rickard Dahlstrand used a Lulzbot 3D printer to create unique art. At the 2013 Stockholm Art Hacker Festival, the Lulzbot 3D printer not only printed the festival's logo for participating artists and hackers, but also, as a performance project, printed visual musical works while classical music was played. The Lulzbot 3D printer prints visualized music using a stepper motor that controls its movement at different speeds. The pitch of the sound determines the speed, thus controlling the printing process. Three motors represent a single track, each moving in a unique pattern. Two motors control the Z-axis movement.
Medical Industry
Bone Printing In the future, surgeons may be able to use this printing equipment to print bones of various sizes on-site during surgery for clinical use. This amazing 3D printer has already been built, and the printing material used to replace real human bones is under intensive testing.
In laboratory tests, this bone replacement printing material has been shown to support the growth of human bone cells, and its effectiveness has been verified in mice and rabbits. In the coming years, higher-quality printed bone substitutes may help surgeons repair bone damage, be used in dental clinics, and even help osteoporosis patients recover.
3D printing technology is rapidly emerging as a hot new industry, and the variety of three-dimensional products it can print is rapidly increasing. To print the bone material, Bosch and her colleagues used a commercially available ProMetal 3D printer for testing. This 3D printer was originally designed for printing metal parts. It sprays plastic granules layer by layer onto a powder substrate and builds the structure. Each layer is only half the width of a human hair.
The main material of this bone scaffold is calcium phosphate, with added silicon and zinc to enhance its strength. When implanted in the human body, it temporarily supports the bone and helps normal bone cells grow and develop, thereby repairing previous damage. The material then dissolves naturally within the body.
Scientists spent four years finding the right formula for this material, involving multiple disciplines including chemistry, materials science, biology, and process science.
In the cultural relics industry, researchers at Drexel University in the United States used 3D scanning of fossils and 3D printing technology to create 3D models suitable for research. These models not only preserved all the external features of the original fossils but were also scaled down for easier study.
Museums often use complex replicas to protect original works from environmental damage or accidents, while also allowing the impact of art or artifacts to reach a wider audience. For example, the Smithsonian Museum used a massive 3D-printed replica of the original Thomas Jefferson statue in its place when the exhibition was moved to Virginia.
In the architecture field, engineers and designers have embraced 3D-printed architectural models. This method is fast, low-cost, environmentally friendly, and produces exquisite results. It perfectly meets the designer's requirements while saving significant amounts of materials.
The Hague Nuclear Security Summit was held in the Netherlands from March 24th to 25th, 2014. Heads of state from various countries attended the summit, and some even took time to participate in interesting gatherings and activities. For instance, President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan attended a state banquet hosted by the King of the Netherlands. Meanwhile, US President Obama, who was also attending the summit, visited the DUS 3D printing exhibition hall, touring the world's largest 3D-printed building.
This 3D printing exhibition showcased the potential to print the world's largest 3D-printed house. The company used a 3D printer called KamerMaker, standing 6 meters tall and housed inside a discarded shipping container. KamerMaker functions similarly to a desktop 3D printer, extruding thermoplastic in continuous layers. It can also be used to print smaller objects, such as stools.
Manufacturing:
The manufacturing industry also needs many 3D-printed products because 3D printing is far superior to traditional manufacturing in terms of cost, speed, and accuracy. 3D printing technology is well-suited for mass production, so manufacturing can benefit greatly from it, even easing quality control concerns.
For example, Microsoft's 3D model printing workshop allows design and manufacturing departments to better refine and improve products after the initial design phase. In the automotive industry, 3D-printed components are often used for safety testing and other tasks, reducing costs while increasing efficiency.
Car Printing
On October 10, 2014, the world's first 3D-printed car became a reality. This two-seat 3D-printed car, named "Stradivarius," was built by a local car company. Its production cycle was 44 hours, and it can reach a top speed of 80 kilometers per hour. "Stradivarius" is made entirely of carbon fiber and plastic using 3D printing technology. It reportedly uses only 40 parts and is powered by electricity, taking 3.5 hours to charge and having a range of approximately 100 kilometers.
Food Industry
On May 22, 2013, NASA selected Systems and Materials Research, a Texas-based company, to invest $1.25 billion in developing 3D printers capable of creating "nutritious and delicious" food for astronauts.
