The amazing impact of 3D printing is now being recognized worldwide in the domain of technology. It is revolutionizing the world of high-quality prints, parts, and prototypes due to its ability to carry out an effortless print job in less time and money.
Many different fields of production are using 3D printing as it does not require loads of labor or tedious amounts of work. There are many sizes of 3D printers available, from small to large, which can be kept at your house, office, or in a warehouse for mass production.
So, what is 3D printing and why is it so much in demand? Here are 15 examples of 3D printing that will answer all of your questions.
3D Printing in the Field of Medicine
3D printing has revolutionized the world of medicine and healthcare. Not only are we able to 3D print surgical instruments and lab apparatuses, but we can also create human organs through 3D printing as well through biocompatible and bioresorbable materials to save the life of patients.
Another amazing example of 3D-printed organs is using 3D printed implantable heart valves and bone grafts.
3D Printing in the Field of Education
Schools, universities, and colleges are now investing in 3D printing to educate students as early as kindergarten level. STEM projects immensely help students open their minds to creativity, imagination, brilliant problem-solving skills and teamwork.
They can experiment with 3D printing and create their own models and objects, and get ready for job opportunities and business ideas in the future, if their interest remains in 3D printing.
Not only do students benefit from 3D printing, teachers also get to enhance their skills and bond with their students. 3D printing adds a whole new dimension to the school’s curriculum.
3D Printing for Artists, Architects, and Designers
Artists, designers and architects have had exceptional breakthroughs with 3D printing. Artists and designers get to create visually appealing and complex geometrical images and make them come to life by 3D printing.
Graphic designers have the opportunity to work from home for on-demand production and for freelance projects as 3D printing takes only a few hours to produce models and prototypes.
Architecture can create beautiful buildings and houses through 3D printing in less effort and time. It is a cost effective way to get the job done and gives architects endless opportunities to work with new ideas and designs. Entire houses, bridges, and structures can now be 3D printed by giant 3D printers.
Disaster Relief and 3D Printing
Recently, the advantages of 3D printing in a lot of different disaster relief projects have brought new hope.
One of the most major benefits of 3D printing for disaster relief was by a field related and technology-oriented NGO, which used 3D printing to manufacture water pipe fittings and washers following the catastrophic 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
3D printing’s ability for manufacturing spare parts has the ability to aid communities in disaster-ridden areas to rebuild infrastructure speedily.
3D Printed Prosthetics
3D printed Prosthetic hands and legs are now being used for people with injuries that are cost effective and lightweight, and give the feeling of having real limbs.
OpenΒionics are one of the best 3D printing examples that apply their open-source initiative for creating affordable robot hands and prosthetic devices.
Glaze Prosthetics employs 3D printing to make super-hero-like prosthetics. They are helping amputees by producing superheroes gear that look super cool!
3D Printing Reduces Waste
Reduction of waste and recycling of materials is another example of how 3D printing is a blessing. It reduces pollution and by recycling leftover materials you are saving the environment from wastage and reducing costs in buying new materials every time after a print job.
3D Printing is Cost Effective
One of the most important among other benefits of 3D printing is its ability to dramatically reduce costs in prototyping and production.
Usually, prototyping may cost hundreds of dollars and can now be created in less than half the costs. For example, Hartfiel Automation reduced its prototyping costs from an average of $125 to just $4 per part.
3D Printing is Saving the Coral Reefs
Some of the most divergent ecosystems on Earth, coral reefs are also very delicate. Especially recently, the underwater ecosystems have greatly suffered from rising water temperatures and unfortunately have reduced their life expectancy.
The sad fate of coral reefs has found new hopes by various efforts to apply 3D printing to encourage coral growth and help the many aquatic species that reside in the reefs.
One prime example is that the Emerging Objects, Boston Ceramics and the SECORE organization are employing 3D printing settlement substrates that check with the coral larvae’s requirements as well as needs for effective reef restoration.
Cultural and Archeological Preservation through 3D Printing
3D scanning and 3D printing technologies are now being applied to reconstruct and preserve treasured artifacts like the burial site and even the full mummy of Tutankhamen and to reconstruct important parts of the city of Palmyra itself.
Moreover, 3D printing is also being used in education and to enable art and historical artifacts easily accessible to those who are visually impaired or have motion impairment as well as to those who reside in remote areas of the world.
3D Printing Provides Job Opportunities
The fields of education, engineering, medicine, aerospace, industrial manufacturing and automotive are all prime examples of 3D printing jobs.
In education, you can lead STEM projects and teach students how to operate a 3D printer and create stunning models. In engineering, you can find job opportunities in mechanical, civil and electronic engineering. You can create surgical instruments and human organs or prosthetics.
As an architect, you can design houses, buildings and interior. As an artist, you can create your artwork into real objects and sell them for your benefit. The list of career possibilities in 3D printing holds a promising future.
Save Time and Labor with 3D Printing
Traditional printing required long hours of work and labor, and the technology was not as advanced as it is now.
With traditional methods, it took several weeks to do a print job and get a product, but now you can print 3D objects in just a few hours, without requiring help from a dozen people. This will help you complete your projects on time and produce high quality 3D prints and prototypes.
On-demand Projects with 3D Printing
Since 3D printing is not time-consuming, you can easily work freelance or take up on-demand projects. You will not be late for your assignments and create great 3D prints in just a few minutes or hours, and impress everyone with your creativity and punctuality.
This is why many companies have started investing in buying 3D printers so that they can be a step ahead in the market.
3D Printing as a Hobby
3D printing is highly interesting and rewarding as you get to create objects and watch them come to life. You can experiment with different shapes, sizes, and colors to create masterpieces.
3D printing is a great way to pass quality time and create something admirable in the process. You can teach your friends and family members and have fun while doing it.
3D Printing in the Entertainment Industry
3D printing in the entertainment industry has become a necessity, as it is used to create props and prosthetics for movies and drama serials. Makeup artists and art directors use 3D printing to create awesome looks for movie characters or for decorating the set.
3D printing experts in the entertainment industry get to create fascinating looks and share their ideas to create various characters. So many fantasy, sci-fi, and horror movies are dependent on 3D printing for creating the looks for the actors.
3D Printed Food
3D printed food is created through automated additive manufacturing. Currently, countless 3D food printers and restaurants are housing them. The most common way of 3D printing food is material extrusion like FDM printing; it requires paste-like ingredients such as mousses, chocolate ganache, and purées etc.
Food 3D printers are being used to create visually pleasing designs and shapes, not for cooking purposes. Mostly, the edibles will be cooked in an oven or grill once the 3D printing is done.
Conclusion
Due to 3D printing’s highly compelling and beneficial uses, it has now become a significant process for design and production.
Almost every field in the manufacturing or art industry is taking full advantage of 3D printing to produce the best possible results for consumers. Not only does it give you a competitive edge, but gets the job done quickly and without using many resources. It is a user-friendly way of getting things done.
