By avoiding the unnecessary creation of excess spare parts, industrial polymer 3D printing also helps streamline the supply chain, cutting down on production expenses and accelerating time to market. Recent years have brought the importance of effective supply chain management…
In 2013, a speculation on the topic “Does 3D printing mean the end of the global supply chain?” was initiated in a blog written by Kristina Pelzel (German). Today, almost three years and a lot of 3D printing hype later,…
One night in the 1980s, Charles Hull invented the world’s first 3D Printer using the method of Stereolithography (SLA). Hull was, however, aware that it would take around 30 years before such a technology is widely adopted. Well, he was…
Leading figures from UK industry have joined forces with academia and government in the UK Additive Manufacturing Steering Group Our world is evolving rapidly. A growing, longer-living population, a generation of digital toddlers, a changing climate and reducing natural resources…
It’s long been a lament of astronauts: If only there were pizza in space. So a couple of years ago, NASA awarded a US$125,000 grant to a mechanical engineer to solve the problem. He produced a prototype 3D printer that…
A couple of trips away from the office in recent weeks have served to reiterate to me the position of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry within a much broader context. It’s always a good thing when this happens…
Even in its relative infancy, 3D printing has created an enormous list of possibilities: dental aligners to straighten your teeth, unique toys for your children, inexpensive custom prosthetics for people with limb deficiencies, and restoring lost or destroyed cultural artifacts.…