3D printing has brought about a global manufacturing revolution. Previously, component design entirely depended on the feasibility of manufacturing processes. The advent of 3D printers will overturn this thinking, allowing companies to produce components without considering manufacturing processes; any complex shape can be achieved through 3D printing.
3D printing eliminates the need for machining or molds, directly generating objects of any shape from computer graphics data, thus significantly shortening product production cycles and increasing productivity. Although still under development, 3D printing technology has enormous market potential and is poised to become one of the many breakthrough technologies in future manufacturing.
3D printing makes these printers available in some electronics stores, and factories are also selling them directly. Scientists say that the applications of 3D printers are still limited, but one day in the future, people will certainly be able to print more practical items using 3D printers.
3D printing technology is crucial for NASA's space exploration missions; more than 30% of the spare parts currently on the International Space Station can be manufactured using this 3D printer. This device will use polymers and other materials, employing extrusion incremental manufacturing technology to create objects layer by layer. The 3D printing experiment is one of NASA's key future research projects. 3D printed parts and tools will enhance the reliability and safety of space missions, and at the same time, reduce the cost of space missions because they do not need to be transported from Earth.
