Though 3D printing is a rapidly changing industry and area of technology, it is by no means new. Coming to market around the 80’s and within the last 10 years becoming more accessible to the commercial market, 3D printing still has a prevalent image of being elusive and futuristic.
This perception is likely due in part to the industries that pioneered 3D printing and continue to push the boundaries of it daily. Companies such as Lockheed or even government agencies such as NASA, use 3D printing regularly and when you associate rocket science with anything, it automatically is given an ora of being overly futuristic and even out of reach to the general market.
However, this idea that 3D printing is elusive is far from reality.
Another industry that is heavily influenced by 3D printing is the automotive industry. Historically, 3D printing may have been used for anything from prototyping the design of a new car to actually printing car parts for a production model automobile.