From examination of SLA, SLS, and FDM, we can generalize the concept of 3D printing to be an additive manufacturing process that takes a digital model, slices the model into layers, attaches material onto a platform following the cross-section of the model, and lastly, drops the platform, repeating the process of laying material until the 3D model has been recreated.
The first commercial 3D printers were intended for use in rapid prototyping. By incorporating 3D printing into the design life cycle, engineers could reduce both time and cost between product revisions. SLA, SLS, and FDM can be considered the base models for more highly specialized printers that have developed since the 1990s, including Direct Metal Deposition (DMD), Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Laser Consolidation (LC), and Multi-Jet Modeling (MJM).
By providing a rapid and inexpensive solution, 3D printing is perhaps most useful in any application that requires iterative development. A company may go through several stages of iterative development before finally arriving at a final product with each stage being a slight modification of the last. These customized modifications are something that can now be offered to the consumer. You are capable of not only downloading a model for say a lamp, but you are also able to personalize your lamp (for example, adjust the height and curvature) before purchase or download to print on your own printer.
Around the late 1990s, we began to see 3D printing being explored for the first time in medical applications and in the early 2000s, researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine successfully printed a miniature functional kidney able to filter blood and produce urine in animal testing. This would be the first major successful application of 3D printing in medicine, but in the coming years, we would see advancements in 3D printed patient-specific prosthetics, surgical implants, cells, blood vessels, organs, casts, biomaterials, and many other medical uses. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of 3D bioprinting is its patient-specific application. That, by using CT scans or other means doctors can tailor a completely customized solution specific to a patient's exact needs.
One of the most recent largely mediatized applications for 3D printing is food. On June 14, 2013, NASA awarded a $125,000 contract to build a 3D printer that can make pizzas. In the past, there have been other food projects, including chocolate, pasta, cookies, sugar structures, and 3D printed meats (however, with a price tag of over $300,000 USD, 3D printed meats are far from a viable food source…yet).
While companies such as Nike have traditionally used 3D printing in their engineering design iterations, today 3D printing in fashion has exploded. Companies are emerging that are 3D-printing custom fit shoes, high heels, jewelry, sun glasses, accessories, and even clothing. With the immergence of new 3D printing material mediums, the fashion industry can design for style, function, and comfort.
The applications for 3D printing are ever-expanding as new companies push the boundaries of current technology. We are 3D-printing structures impossible to ever duplicate using modern manufacturing, as we push the envelope of efficiency. 3D-printed clothing, shoes, accessories, and jewelry allow us to truly express our individuality, while 3D-printed guns call into question current laws and regulations. 3D-printed musical instruments allow us to create new musical dynamics, and 3D printing on the nanoscale is opening doors to new stronger, lighter materials.