We're going to see innovation happening at a much higher rate, introduction of products at a much higher rate," said DeGrange. "We live in an on-demand world now, and we'll see production schedules are going to be greatly compressed."
Airplane mechanics could print a replacement part on the runway. A dishwasher repairman could make a new gasket in his service truck. A surgeon could print a knee implant custom-designed to fit a patient's body. But the military is likely to be among the first major users of 3D printers, because of the urgency of warfare.
"Imagine a soldier on a firebase in the mountains of Afghanistan. A squad is attacked. The ammunition starts to run out. Is it worth waiting hours and risking the lives of helicopter pilots to drop it near you, or is it worth a more expensive system that can manufacture weapons and ammunition on the spot?" he said.
In the past two years, the US Defense Department has spent more than $2 million on 3D printers, supplies and upkeep. Their uses range from medical research to weapons development. In addition, the Obama administration has launched a $US30 million pilot program that includes researching how to use 3D printing to build weapons parts.
While the US is pursuing the military advantages of 3D printing, it's also dealing with the potential dangers of the technology. On May 9, the US State Department ordered a group to take down online blueprints for a 3D-printable handgun, and legislators are contemplating proposals to restrict posting weapons plans in the future.
Cliff Waldman said it's still too soon to know exactly what impact this 3D technology could have on more traditional manufacturing. But he doesn't envision it changing the "fundamental shape" of manufacturing, as others suggest.
If NASA is ever going to put humans on Mars, it has to figure out how to feed them over the course of a years-long mission. So the agency has funded research for a 3-D printer that creates pizza at the touch of a button.
Food on long-haul space flights needs to meet a slew of requirements. It needs to have a five-year shelf life. But there are other issues it needs to address. "This is the only food that the crew members will have, so it needs to maintain its nutrition content for the length of the mission, and it has to be acceptable. If they don’t want to eat it, they won’t eat enough."
"3-D food printers are looking at providing powdered forms of ingredients, and these would not be processed ahead," says Douglas. Pizza is one of the comfort foods unavailable to astronauts on current missions. And since the 3-D printer does most of the work, astronauts wouldn’t have to deal with extensive food prep.
NASA said the proposal is intriguing in part because it could save weight on a spacecraft, and because such technology could be used to make other objects, such as tools.