5 Industries that will be Disrupted by 3D Printing

3D printing will be the next big thing in the near future. That day is not far when there will be a printed economy and on-demand manufacturing will be a reality. Even though 3D printing is currently used for creating prototypes, in the coming years, 3D printers will be used increasingly in various industries to develop parts as well as finished products. As the use of 3D printing becomes extensive, it will have an impact on many sectors. Almost all sectors will be affected. But, here we have put our list of five industries.

1.       Medicine

Patients will be able to get customized medical solutions for their health issues. 3D printing of human organs, commonly known as bioprinting, has already started making its mark. Inkjet-style printers are used by this technology to create living tissues. 3D printed liver tissues, human ear, etc. have already been created with this technology. Apart from that, various types of implants have been manufactured on these printers. Some of them include jaw transplants, skull implants, body braces, metal hip implants, etc.

Research is also being conducted to create human cells through this technology. The medicine industry is going to be disrupted in a big way.

2.       Food

3D printed food items have become quite popular. Recently, these printed foods were unveiled at the International CES this year. Food items like pizza, pasta, chocolates, etc, can be easily printed using 3D printers. In the coming years, there will be extensive 3D printing of these food items.

Ingredients which are in a powder or liquid form and which can be passed through a nozzle can be printed easily.  Of late, a meal of corn pasta, pizza, panna cotta and an eggplant dish was 3D printed for the New York Times.

3.       Automotive

Parts of vehicles as well as whole cars can be manufactured with 3D printers. High-end cars with small production runs will be benefitted with this technology. Bentley has already showed the potential use of 3D printing in the automotive industry for small yet complicated auto parts. Helmets for bikers can be customized with 3D printers so that they fit perfectly on their head.

4.       Jewelry

With this emerging technology, beautiful jewelry pieces can be produced without much hassle. Machineries which are complex, expensive and large scale will be replaced with 3D printers. Custom-made, limited-edition necklaces, chains and other jewelry items will be produced with this technology instead of traditional manufacturing process.

5.       Electronics

3D printing can help in creating intricate geometric features, which are required in compact electronic circuit boards that use various materials like high conductivity metal pieces to low conductivity plastics. Designing and manufacturing 3D printed electronics will be a common sight, few years down the line.

Though, these industries will be disrupted, yet this technology is going to meet the needs of people from all sections of the society.