The Pervasiveness of 3D Printing

Fashion designer Zac Posen’s red petal gown graced the red carpet at this year’s Met Gala, the result of over 1,000 hours of 3D printing and spray paint. There were other 3D printed looks too, including a headdress, a short dress, a longer draped dress sculpted perfectly to a model’s body. And, while the work was stunning, it wasn’t necessarily surprising--3D printing has become so ubiquitous that you can walk into a public library and leave with a 3D printed object of your choosing.

From runways to reading nooks, 3D printing is everywhere.

A history of growth

3D printing and additive manufacturing have been around in some form for a long time. While you were listening to mixtapes on your Walkman and loving slap bracelets, engineers were inventing methods for fabricating 3D plastic models and establishing the technological foundation that modern 3D printers rely on. In the early 90s, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon University worked to develop new ways for material deposition, including sprayed materials and microcasting.

The 90s saw the commercialization of the powder bed process and then a high-precision polymer jet system with soluble support structures. By 1995, a selective laser melting process was developed, and by the 2010s, metal end use parts were grown. By 2012, you could 3D print using a larger variety of plastics, and by 2019, 3D printing had infiltrated fashion.

The present and future of 3D printing

Of course, 3D printing isn’t done yet, and it isn’t just having a moment. It is here to stay--and adapt to fill a variety of needs. Right now, the most potential appears to be in its ability to fill gaps in construction projects. Following the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Dutch design firm Concr3de is promising that, with the help of 3D printing, the historic building might be restored within only five years for less money than has already been raised. Companies are working on and even using technology that allows for 3D printing to happen on a construction site, printing directly onto existing framework instead of being printed and then transported. 3D printing promises to revolutionize construction, making it cheaper, faster, and ultimately more secure.

We’re also seeing 3D printed organs (for human bodies!) that are closer than ever to being a reality. Faster, more precise, flexible, and customizable, 3D printers are already being used in medicine, and have put forth a promising proof of concept for entire organs, which would be life saving for so many on transplant lists across the world.

Global Market Insights Inc. predicts that 3D printing will continue to grow--25% from 2018 to 2024, just a few years away. By 2025, the industry will be worth more than $8 billion, with more research dollars going toward developments in construction, auto, manufacturing, and medical industries.

And, of course, there are the more novel uses of 3D printing, which also continue to evolve. While Posen’s designs were interesting and beautiful, he isn’t the first designer to dabble in 3D printed materials. In fact, others are selling their designs for thousands of dollars and working to improve flexibility of materials. You can still 3D print jewelry and trinkets aplenty, which is one of the great things about rapid industry growth. While 3D printing is set to do big things, it’s toiling away at the small ones too, helping to bring science and engineering to the masses.