The 3D printing industry offers the capacity to entirely revolutionize how the world produces almost everything. Whether the outcome be good or bad, the 3D printing industry is set to change virtually every area of our lives and start the next industrial revolution. The 3D printing industry is the next big game-changer. Businesses, consumers, the environment are all going to experience the effects of 3D printing. The first 3D printer was developed in 1983 and the technology has been supporting developers prototype objects ever since. Before 1983, the idea of high-speed prototyping did not exist and back then to prototype anything took months and thousands of dollars. At the time, 3D printing was regarded as a game-changer due to the fact it substantially decreased product development lead times, saving time and money in the process.
Through the years, 3D printed prototypes have proved to be both time and money saving. Due to advancements in the speed and functionality of 3D printing, businesses can repeat products much faster than ever before, providing developers additional time to improve their designs. Essentially, this could provide a business a very real competitive edge in the industry. Some of the most remarkable advantages of new 3D printing technologies is the capability to enhance medical care for a wide range of illnesses, diseases and injuries. Bio printing enables doctors and medical providers to print replicas of human organs—such as a printed liver—and personalized bioresorbable solutions such as lung splints. Scientists have developed a printer capable of printing skin grafts on top of burns utilizing “ink” made from skin cells. As opposed to burn treatments, this ground breaking skin printer involves a patch of skin that is only one-tenth of the size of the burn. Although a majority of these advancements remain fairly new, 3D printing technology is likely to transform the medical field.
Brigham Valdez, the owner of South Bay 3D printing said in a recent interview that “3D printers and its future are a doubled edge sword. To have the ability to produce manufactured goods in your home and better yet custom goods brings into question the future of other industries. Think about it, no longer does a store need overhead in order to make sale. And what about warehouse jobs and shipping and sea ports think of all the jobs that will possibly be lost when you no longer need to ship a quantity of goods in order to maintain an inventory.” Mr. Valdez is an engineer who has built several 3D printer prototypes from the ground up. His company, South Bay 3D Printing specializes in building open-source, interchangeable 3D printers which can double as other machines, such as engravers, CNC machines etc.
3D Printing is quickly turning into a new way to make anything. There is no manufacturing or professional industry that would not benefit from it, decreasing costs, boosting productivity and shortening time to market. The next few years could therefore bring about a new paradigm. 3D printing has already revolutionized a number of industries from toys to airlines, and that revolution is now about to come home. Along with all the obvious economic and environmental benefits this technology will bring, it also presents some very complicated ramifications for the way we look at shopping, security, health, and just about everything else.
By Julia Walrath
Sources:
YouTube
Valdez, B. (2014, August 1). Personal interview
Tre'vell Hill 
Jeanette Smith