Additive manufacturing or 3D printing has revolutionized many fields. This technology has become a valuable tool that different industries use to bring their product designs to life. Here are a few that currently use it.
Medical
Rapid additive manufacturing has influenced the field of medicine in many ways. For instance, it’s given people who build prosthetic limbs the freedom to experiment on various designs faster. Instead of spending days or even weeks carving and assembling products, one can use 3D printing to create a prototype within hours. This technology also allows parts to be custom-fitted to each patient’s measurements, making them more comfortable and easy to use.
Additive manufacturing has also given rise to another medical innovation: bio-printing. As its name suggests, it involvescreating organs and body parts with ink that contains human cells. Scientists are working on creating everything from skin to internal organs. Although none of these have been used to treat people, they’re estimated to have live applications within the next 10 years.
Automotive
Car manufacturers save a lot of money by testing out preliminary designs with the help of 3D printing. Through a rapid additive manufacturing service in California, they can create close replicas of car parts that help them estimate the reaction of the actual product during an experiment. Since the materials used for the prototypes are more affordable than what they traditionally use, companies can cut down on production expenses.
This innovation also allows them to spend less time on planning. And, since workable test products can be manufactured much faster, the team can make decisions quicker. They can immediately determine whether they should keep or remove certain features, which will help them arrive at the final design sooner.
Aerospace
The aerospace industry always needs working parts that have exact specifications for their prototypes. They can’t be too heavy or too big, or else the entire thing may not work or break apart, which is why 3D printing is the perfect tool for the manufacturingprocess.
Aerospace engineers can create prototype parts that are incredibly faithful to their designs. This also allows them to print out different geometries which are impossible to make with other methods.
These are just some of the industries that use 3D printing. By taking advantage of a rapid additive manufacturing service in California, one can expect that different industries will continue to use this technology to create revolutionary products.