We're getting to the point where 3D printers are almost mainstream. Every major city in North America now has at least one business with an industrial grade 3D printer for hire, so there is certainly a lot of access to the technology. To top it off, most manufacturers are making home-based 3D printers that are both affordable and high quality. Now that access is available, let's take a look at the three most incredible things we've seen them used for.
Building Cars
Remember that anti-piracy commercial that used to be on almost every DVD? "You wouldn't download a car," it said. If your response was anything like mine, your first thought would have been "Heck yeah I would download a car!" Well, in the very near future you might be able to. A company called Local Motors designed one and has been testing it around town for quite some time now. It's hard to say if this type of vehicle will be ready for road use anytime soon, but the concept certainly is interesting. In the meantime, GM has mentioned that they've begun using 3D printing as part of their prototyping procedure. Who knows, this might be the beginning of a whole new world of 3D printed cars.
Fixing Bones
There are some incredible innovations coming out of the medical industry, and 3D printing is a major part of several innovations. One of them is a special design that allows you to 3D print your own cast at home. Unlike many medical implementations, this doesn't require you to have the best 3D printers on the market, any standard consumer model will do. The concept is simple. During standard medical checkups, a scan of your extremities (and that of your families) will be taken. In the event that somebody breaks a bone, the software can create a proper splint for them to make the trip to the hospital safer. Once the bone has been fixed, a custom cast can be created that will be more breathable and ergonomic than the standard kind.
Building Homes
A special 3D printer called a Vesta has been designed to operate on a larger scale than you are used to. Instead of special plastics, the Vesta uses standard concrete. It's a very large machine, fully capable of building a compact, livable home in as little as 24 hours. Labor costs are one of the largest expenses in building homes, so if this process could be automated we would save a lot of money. Now, keep in mind that this isn't your typical family dwelling. The home is really quite small. However, it's designed to be used in third world countries where there are people without shelter. Plus, the unique design can withstand major earthquakes, so the technology has promise for disaster relief applications.
If you're not impressed by that simple, inexpensive design, then perhaps you'd be interested in seeing this same technology on a larger scale. A Chinese company applied the same principles and managed to build a much more robust version of the system. Their company is able to 3D print up to 10 houses per day, at the incredibly low cost of only $5000 apiece.
Moving Forward
We've been hearing about 3D printing technology for a long time. Until recently, the news has primarily been concepts or advancements to the technology. Today, we're seeing real companies create real value with this technology. 3D printing isn't just some marvelous technology we'll have in the future, it's here today. Chances are, we're going to see some major changes to several industries in a very short amount of time.