There is a wide variety of processes in the 3D printing family. Basically, they all have the same core principle: an object is created one layer at a time by binding an input material either through heat or chemical reaction and then building up a body, one thin slice at a time.

Rapid prototyping or 3D printing has been around for a several decades, with the first stereolithographic process being patented in the early eighties. For a long time the technology was confined to engineering labs and the high tech design & prototyping workshops of large manufacturers and universities, however today the use of 3D modelling programs and CAD files has become more widespread and 3D printing has entered the mainstream. Companies like Makerbot and Printrbot are helping to pave the way by offering low cost home assembly kits, raw materials and community platforms to share ideas and breakthroughs.

Today we find ourselves in the midst of a 3D printing revolution. No longer limited by high input costs or unobtainable technology, the potential benefits of additive manufacturing are being applied in ever more imaginative applications, from the home enthusiast tinkering with robotic components to astronauts on the ISS building 3D camera housings in space and pharmaceutical companies producing medicine. Engineers are literally printing houses, tech savvy pastry chefs are printing petits fours, and we have recently been amazed by reports of organic tissue being printed to form skeletal structures for the growth of human organs – the cost of bionic prosthesis has plummeted with organisations such as http://enablingthefuture.org/ making it possible for people to print their own limbs!

These developments have not gone unnoticed here at IPL, with our R&D radar firmly focused on appropriate new and future tech. We have, for a number of years, utilised the multitude of benefits inherent in the 3D printing system. Quick testing of concepts through the use of 3D printed prototypes makes it possible to analyse the viability of a potential product without spending huge amounts on moulds, mock ups and handmade samples. We use this technology to analyse potential production pitfalls, and to demonstrate particular benefits in different materials. With 3D printing not being limited to one material, we can sample anything from engineering grade nylon to titanium, producing tangible testable parts, at a reasonable cost, in a very short time.

New ideas can quickly be made into tactile accurate facsimiles, thus decreasing development time and avoiding costly mistakes.

So, what does the future hold? How will 3D printing influence manufacturing in the decades to come?

While we are now seeing the first proper mass produced products being made solely through additive manufacturing we are not yet at a stage where this technology is threatening more traditional processes such as injection moulding and casting. However it is really just a matter of time until we are producing replicated parts on an atomic level.

At IPL we are dedicated to researching new technologies. Our Design and Innovation Department, along with our project management teams and manufacturing partners, endeavours to use technology like 3D printing where we can to ensure our clients get the best possible product, thoroughly tested and manufactured using the latest innovations in design, sampling, pre-production analysis and mass production.