"Most Firms Will Be Using 3D Printing" In The Future

'Most Firms Will Be Using 3D Printing' (+Video)

Adam Easton | December 2, 2015

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction - machines that can "print" solid objects - but 3D printing isn't really printing at all, at least not in the traditional sense.
It is the process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. Successive layers of material are formed under computer control to create objects ranging from plastic bottles to aircraft parts and prosthetic limbs.
A 3D printer is essentially a type of industrial robot.

GE used MakerBot and 3D Systems printers to print custom gifts. Source: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/3d-printing-10-companies-using-it-in-ground-breaking-ways/

<more at http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34977335; related links: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/3d-printing-10-companies-using-it-in-ground-breaking-ways/ (3D printing: 10 companies using it in ground-breaking ways. A growing number of innovative companies are experimenting with 3D printers, propelling the technology closer to the mainstream market. March 26, 2014) and http://bigthink.com/experts-corner/how-you-can-profit-from-3d-printing (How You Can Profit from 3D Printing. 2014)>