By: Judd Parker – info@3dprinterstocks.com

First off, sorry about the title but it had to be done. 3D printing technology allows us to perfectly recreate any part or model using only the design. Soon, the creation and replication of products will be a process that is available, not just to factories and industrial workers, but to anyone with a 3D printer.

In the past, manufacturing a single prototype of a project or recreating a part that was no longer being made for a car or other machine was prohibitively expensive, if not impossible. The material and equipment needed for manufacturing a prototype is the same amount you would need to mass produce a product, so it was often cost inefficient. Even if it could be done, the time needed to arrange for a part or prototype to be manufactured was often weeks, if not months, making an emergency rush job completely impossible. Even some parts intended for mass production were incredibly difficult to create using traditional manufacturing, so many designers were forced to make less efficient parts for the sake of ease of production.

However, with the rise of 3D printing, all of these restrictions are becoming a thing of the past. Companies like 3D Systems and Stratasys have been working since the 1980s to make the dream of easy manufacturing of virtually any item a reality. 3D printing uses lasers moving along three axises to perfectly replicate any design. This revolutionary model avoids wasting any material and does not require the use of sanding and drilling to create a complete product. Manufacturing any item was once a process that involved many complicated, expensive steps, but is now possible for anyone, anywhere to create a complete product simply by designing it and pressing a button.

This has staggering implications for the future of business. The ability to quickly and inexpensively create a prototype of any product will mean faster innovation in almost all fields. Even the field of medicine has found a way to harness this technology. Prosthetic limbs can now be designed with unique specifications for each person. Architecture firms can now produce accurate scale models of their building designs quickly and efficiently. 3D printing can also be used to make replacement parts for almost any machine. With this technology, ships at sea and remote military bases will be able to replace any broken parts without wasting crucial time as one is ordered, created, and shipped. This isn’t just convenient, it could save lives.

3D printing isn’t just for manufacturing companies; it can also be used by individuals. For example, Jay Leno has been using 3D printing to make new and custom parts for his classic car collection. You could even harness this technology to make a custom wedding ring or home decoration without having to order an expensive custom piece. The simplicity, efficiency, and cost effectiveness or 3D technology has the potential to change both the way we do business and the way we live our lives.