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Every so often a technology comes along that has the power to change the world. 3D printing is one of them. It could even help solve some of our biggest global issues.   

3D printing has been around for a little while now, but recently it has started to become more practical, affordable and accessible, with many industries and sectors looking at ways to exploit the technology to save time and money. We recently looked at the way additive manufacturing, as 3D printing is known within the industry, could be the future of manufacturing. It’s not quite there yet, but it’s certainly well on the way and we’re excited about the prospects.

But 3D printing has the potential to do so much more, and to say that it could ‘change the world’ is not hyperbole. It could be the very answer to some of the most pressing problems that we face globally. An article on Entrepreneur website, highlights some of the current endeavours being undertaken, which includes 3D-printed homes for those in developing countries built using locally sourced, natural materials, as well as fast housing solutions for those left homeless through natural disasters.

It’s not just in affordable, eco housing that 3D printing is making its mark; it is being researched within the medical field to solve many issues that we face as a society that lives ever longer. The 3D Printing Industry website lists ’12 things we can 3D print in medicine right now’, which includes prosthetic limbs, medical equipment and even body parts.

While 3D printing is going to change things here on Earth, it can also be applied to our endeavours in outer space. The 3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration, showed that 3D printing can be achieved in space, which could mean that components could be manufactured in-mission, therefore aiding further deep-space exploration. It can also be used to build components that are stronger and lighter than through current methods, meaning that the way we build rocket ships and jet planes could change forever (see this article on the Forbes website, which explores how components could adapt from being made up of multiple parts to a single, 3D-printed whole, and what the effect on industry might be as a result).

Manufacturing is going to be hugely impacted by the rise in 3D printing. As research and development funding is increased, we will see affordable manufacturing processes capable of producing any material or product within the UK. While this will likely effect the import/export market, domestic manufacturing will grow and production methods will be less wasteful, as you only use the material you need. Not only that, you can make each product or part bespoke, to a customer’s exact requirements – negating the need for warehouse storage.

We’re certainly excited by the possibilities and where it might lead. It may be a while before we’re living in our 3D-printed house, driving our 3D-printed car and eating 3D-printed food, but it’s certainly a technology that we can’t ignore. 50 years from now, the world is going to be a very different place, and 3D printing will play a large role in this.

Topics: Corrotherm News

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