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How 3D Printing is Changing the World
Check out our infographic showing all the ways 3D printing technology is changing global industries
Learn when 3D printing started and how the technology has rapidly evolved since that time to catalyze sea changes in the longstanding industries of healthcare and manufacturing, including aviation and automotive.
Across the globe, various 3D printing materials are being sourced to feed the growing demand for 3D-printed parts and objects. Manufacturers like HP® are leading the way with revolutionary 3D printing technologies, such as the HP Metal Jet industrial printer, which help to vastly increase production volumes and expedite time to market.
View our below infographic for more details on how 3D printing is advancing in commercial and educational applications, and also its environmental impact and e-waste.
Infographic transcription:
- Initial versions of 3D printing date back to the 1980s
- From 2014 to 2017, the total number of desktop 3D printers sold tripled
- 3D printing is predicted to become a $30 billion market by as early as 2022
The impact of 3D printing
- 3D-printed products are up to 50% lighter than those produced with standard methods, meaning they require less energy to transport
- In manufacturing, 3D printers use only the amount of material necessary for the product, reducing overall waste
- Some 3D printers only accept recycled materials
- It’s not all good news: One study found that 3D printers utilizing heat or lasers use 50 to 100 times more electricity than traditional production methods
- 93% of companies that use 3D printing reduce time-to-market
- Prototyping (55%), production (43%) and Proof of Concept models (41%) are the three most popular 3D printing applications in 2018
- HP Metal Jet is a leading innovative technology that is fast-tracking global industrial applications
- HP Metal Jet allows manufacturers in numerous industries to produce high volumes of parts, making them 50x more productive
Industry examples:
- 3D printing allows rapid prototyping
- Ford used 3D printing to make car parts for testing, saving up to $493,000 per month
- Manufacturers are using 3D printing to develop aircraft
- GE used 3D printing to create a new turboprop engine called the GE Catalyst
- Engine designers combined 855 separate parts into just 12 using 3D printing
- Boeing plans to begin using 3D-printed titanium parts to construct a 787 Dreamliner jet
- This is projected to save $3 million on each jet
- Scientists use 3D printing to create artificial organs for transplant patients
- Not Impossible Labs used 3D printing to create prosthetics that cost under $100
- A mouse with 3D-printed ovaries gave birth to healthy pups
- 3D design
- Computer-aided design (CAD): using computers to create, modify, analyze, or optimize design
- Programming
- Manufacturing processes
- 3D printing can be used to produce tactile models for teaching purposes
- 3D printing has been used to create Braille picture books for blind or low-vision students
Infographic sources:
- 3D Insider; The Environmental Impact of 3D Printing
- 3D Printing Industry; Half Million 3D Printers Sold in 2017
- 3D Printing Media; 10 Ways 3D Printing is Positively Impacting the World
- All3DP; 10 Ways 3D Printing Supports the Blind
- CB Insights; From Construction to Art, Here are 25 Industries that 3D Printing Could Disrupt
- Fabbaloo; What are the Environmental Impacts of 3D Printing
- Forbes; 7 Amazing Real World Examples of 3D Printing in 2018
- Forbes; The State of 3D Printing, 2018
- Hongkiat; 9 Ways 3D Printing is Changing the World
- HP; Metal 3D Printing
- i.materialize; 8 Interesting Facts About 3D Printing
- My 3D Concepts; Moving Toward Eco-Friendly Manufacturing
- Tech Guided; 63 Ways 3D Printing is Changing the World