3D Printing

3D Printed Object

My friend Julianne pointed me to this article on 3D printing, which states:

(M)yriad industries – from automotive (which already created the first 3D printed car) and aerospace to footwear and jewelry – have embraced 3D printing that creates objects by laying down successive layers of materials.The Wohlers Report, an annual in-depth study of the advances in additive manufacturing technologies and applications, estimates 3D printing will grow to become a $5.2 billion industry by 2020, up from $1.3 billion last year.

While the technology is currently used for prototypes, demonstrations, and some fairly low value applications, as the cost of 3D printers has come down and is continuing to come down, the technology seems likely to have an increasing economic impact.