3D Printing Not Just for the R&D Lab Anymore

What Lies Ahead for 3-D Printing? Smithsonian - RF CafeHeadlines are filled every day with new, radical applications for the rapidly advancing 3D printer phenomenon. 3D-printed prototypes for developmental models have been around for a few years now, but the paradigm is changing to include finished products. Just as you can send a file for a printed circuit board that you design to a vendor for rapid turn-around fabrication, you can now ship a 3D CAD file to companies that will print your object. Dita Von Teese Flaunts the First 3D-Printed Dress - RF CafeGears, enclosures, statues, even wearable clothing can be turned out as single or multiple components for assembly. Last week a story appeared about a 3D-printed airway being used to save a baby's life. Available material media and step resolution is not yet advanced enough to make a metal ball bearing, but it will get there. The May 2013 edition of Smithsonian magazine has a good article on the state of the art.

3D-printed prototypes - RF Cafe

Posted  June 2013