There are organizations around the world that want to encourage an environment of local manufacturing.
One such organization is America Makes (http://www.americamakes.us), a premier national accelerator
for the 3D printing industry that encourages the growth of US-based manufacturing. A private/public initia-
tive formed in 2012, America Makes aims to bring back local jobs and manufacturing to the USA through the
application of Advanced Additive Manufacturing (another name for 3D printing).
But job candidates will have to adapt. Local job seekers, wanting local manufacturing jobs, will have to
acquire new skills that prepare them to work in this new manufacturing environment. Candidates entering
this workforce will have more opportunities if they are proficient in CAD modeling, 3D printing management,
and the related technologies.
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF 3D PRINTING
This next section highlights the affects 3D printing has and will have in the medical community, perhaps one
of the biggest early adopters of this technology.
COVID19
We couldn’t write this book without mentioning the contribution 3D printing has made in the fight against the
Covid-19 pandemic. In the beginning of 2020, Covid-19 had negative repercussions in every industry. One of
the earliest industries to be the most vulnerable was the medical sector. This industry was caught by sur-
prise and the need for both PPE (personal protective equipment) and other medical equipment exceeded the
supply on hand.
FIGURE 166: Open source face shields 3D printed and assembled by HoneyPoint3D on our Prusa Printers (https://www.prusa3d.com/
covid19/) and sent for donation to the UCSF hospital.
FIGURE 167: A door opener and button pusher developed using 3D printing technology in order to keep the user germ free.
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There are organizations around the world that want to encourage an environment of local manufacturing.
One such organization is America Makes (http://www.americamakes.us), a premier national accelerator
for the 3D printing industry that encourages the growth of US-based manufacturing. A private/public initia-
tive formed in 2012, America Makes aims to bring back local jobs and manufacturing to the USA through the
application of Advanced Additive Manufacturing (another name for 3D printing).
But job candidates will have to adapt. Local job seekers, wanting local manufacturing jobs, will have to
acquire new skills that prepare them to work in this new manufacturing environment. Candidates entering
this workforce will have more opportunities if they are proficient in CAD modeling, 3D printing management,
and the related technologies.
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF 3D PRINTING
This next section highlights the affects 3D printing has and will have in the medical community, perhaps one
of the biggest early adopters of this technology.
COVID19
We couldn’t write this book without mentioning the contribution 3D printing has made in the fight against the
Covid-19 pandemic. In the beginning of 2020, Covid-19 had negative repercussions in every industry. One of
the earliest industries to be the most vulnerable was the medical sector. This industry was caught by sur-
prise and the need for both PPE (personal protective equipment) and other medical equipment exceeded the
supply on hand.
When the government and hospitals ran out of these
supplies, the 3D printing industry rushed in and
started prototyping and making everything from nasal
swabs to ventilator machines parts. The speed and
sense of urgency felt throughout our industry was
palpable, inspiring, and humbling. Many thousands
of engineers, companies and hobbyists donated their
time to make anything that was in shortage. Soon 3D
printed face shields, ventilators, and later, test swabs
were available to those that desperately needed them.
Figure 16-6 shows the face shields we made and
donated to the UCSF medical hospital. That donation
was a fraction of what they needed but they were still
appreciated.
Now more than ever, the importance of 3D print-
ing and on-demand manufacturing can’t be ignored as critical gaps were filled when traditional supply
chains fell short. As the 3D printing industry offered, many times at no cost, to develop, make and
distribute critical supplies that were not being met by the traditional supply chains, the world saw the
value in local manufacturing at speed that met the demand.
FIGURE 166: Open source face shields 3D printed and assembled by HoneyPoint3D on our Prusa Printers (https://www.prusa3d.com/
covid19/) and sent for donation to the UCSF hospital.
FIGURE 167: A door opener and button pusher developed using 3D printing technology in order to keep the user germ free.
FIGURE168: 3D printed replacement parts that were critically
needed to run medical equipment.
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We don’t know and may never know the extent of how many lives were saved because of 3D printed PPE.
However, with certainty, it was an incredibly proud moment to see our industry mobilize so quickly and
show how 3D printing could be useful in widespread emergencies. Figures 16-7 and 16-8 show more
examples of 3D printed items that were developed and printed to fill the supply chain gaps.
The perception that 3D printing is just for toy trinkets was officially over. The new era of 3D printing and its
use cases has changed forever in the minds of consumers and with other industries alike.
PRESURGERY TOOLS
The images on the next page show how 3D printing can change pre and postoperative medical treatment. If
a surgeon can 3D print the actual anatomy of the patient before surgery, the doctor can better plan the pro-
cedure and even consult with other doctors to increase the chances of better outcomes. With 3D printing,
the doctor has the time to think through the surgical plan before the patient is on the operating table. Figure
16-9 shows a patient’s blood vessel that was 3D printed for pre surgery analysis.
CUSTOMIZED MEDICINE
All societies and consumers enjoy the benefits of customization. They want custom made tables, shoes,
pools, houses and basically anything! With so many advancements in modern medicine, it wouldn’t be sur-
prising to see in the future 3D printed treatments tailored to each individual. Some people might need more
or less of an active ingredient, and therefore, 3D printed pills for each individual may be an option some day
as shown in Figure 16-10. Imagine having custom made Aspirin or Tylenol with doses that are made for
your genetics!
If you think personalized medicine is interesting, how about 3D Bioprinting? What if we could 3D print
organs and lessen the burden of organ shortages? This may become a reality as the European consortium
OrganTrans (https://organtrans.eu/) is currently trying to prepare and develop a tissue engineering plat-
form capable of generating liver tissue. This proposed automated and standardized alternative solution to
organ donation for patients with liver disease could be revolutionary.
3D PRINTING FUTURE TRENDS AND PREDICTIONS
As this technology continues to grow rapidly, here are some more future trends you can look forward to
experiencing in the years ahead:
3D Printing will be used for mainstream production as higher volume production becomes more
financially viable.
Design software will become more integrated and easier to use. In order to 3D print, you need a
3D file. When the software becomes more intuitive and easier to use, higher adoption will follow.
A broader educational reach in schools will increase the available workforce and further all
industries adoption.
FIGURE 169: An example of a medically accurate human blood vessel, 3D printed in resin
FIGURE 1610: Illustrates the concept of highly personalized 3D printed medicine. Each layer can be printed with specific amounts of
the active ingredients.
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FIGURE 169: An example of a medically accurate human blood vessel, 3D printed in resin
FIGURE 1610: Illustrates the concept of highly personalized 3D printed medicine. Each layer can be printed with specific amounts of
the active ingredients.
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3D printing will become a central tool in dentistry. Currently, dental crowns, surgical guides and
dental aligners all use 3D printing and the applications will continue to expand.
3D printing will become smarter with sensors and machine learning systems. Sensors and
cameras will provide real time feedback and affect the in-progress printing.
Metal 3D printing will continue to improve and quality assurance will increase, making this
material more applicable to manufacturing.
Automation of the post processing part of 3D printing will increase the profitability of each unit.
This will enable the technology to compete more with traditional manufacturing methods.
Material options and advancements will continue to increase. This expansion of printing mate-
rials will attract more industries and use cases. For example, composite materials that are
lightweight and strong, can help reduce manufacturing and energy costs.
GET INVOLVED AND GET CONNECTED. YOU ARE PART OF THIS FUTURE!
The learning doesn’t stop here. You are a homesteader of this advancing technology and the field will con-
tinue to grow and change rapidly in the coming years.
For that reason, we encourage you to engage with the 3D printing community. There are many mem-
ber-driven groups you can join. One of the largest online groups for 3D printing is the LinkedIn community
for 3D printing, with around 63K members. Figure 16-11 is a screen capture from their webpage. Another
popular community is on Facebook as shown in Figure 16-12.
If you are a woman or want to support women in 3D printing, there is an organization called “Women in 3D
Printing” that has over 75 world wide chapters, a magazine, events and currently has over 17,000 members.
https://womenin3dprinting.com/
There are other ways to connect with the 3D Printing community. We recommend that you find online
forums that suit your level and interests, and upload your 3D model creation to online repositories to
get feedback from the community (https://reprap.org/wiki/Printable_part_sources). You could also
attend live 3D printing events, Meet-ups and webinars in your area. It’s a great way to stay informed and
up-to-date.
FIGURE 1611: The main landing page of the LinkedIn 3D printing community with over 63k members
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