25 Industries 3D Printing Could Transform

3D printing is efficient and highly customizable, and has potential applications across a wide range of industries.
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3D print 3D print technology company product design technology make
3D printing is efficient and highly customizable, and has potential applications across a wide range of industries.
About Techcelerate Ventures

Tech Investment and Growth Advisory for Series A in the UK, operating in £150k to £5m investment market, working with #SaaS #FinTech #HealthTech #MarketPlaces and #PropTech companies.
3D print 3D print technology company product design technology make
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25 Industries  
3D Printing  
Could Transform 
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3D printing is efficient and highly 
customizable, and has potential applications 
across a wide range of industries.
While 3D printing technology for consumer products has yet to 
live up to the hype, it's thriving in the industrial world.
The technology enables rapid prototyping, which means that 
teams developing a new product can quickly experiment with 
different designs and materials, accelerating the product's path to 
market. It's also highly customizable and resource-efficient.
The 3D printing space has seen significant fundraising growth 
since 2013, with big manufacturing corporates like GE and 
Siemens investing heavily. Global spending on 3D printing will 
reach nearly $12B in 2018, according to IDC forecasts.
As the technology permeates more design studios and factory 
floors, the potential applications are virtually endless.
From construction to pharmaceuticals to food, we take a look at 
the industries that 3D printing could disrupt.
II
Architecture and Constrution
Education
Food
Prosthetics
Pharmaceutical Drugs
Automotive
Art
Furniture
Packaging
Firearms
Drones
Medical Implants
Conservation
Space Tech
Manual Transportation
Agriculture
Aviation
Archaeology and Cultural Preservation
Consumer Electronics
Toys
Entertainment
Fashion and Accessories
Defense
Music
Regnerative Medicine
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Table of 
Contents
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Architecture and Construction
Applications of 3D printing in architecture and construction 
are developing rapidly. The technology has become relatively 
widespread in the project design stage  architects can print 
models of properties, commercial real estate, and infrastructure.
In the future, development and engineering teams could have  
easy access to full-scale 3D printed models to test new designs 
and materials.
The Dubai Future Foundation debuted what it claimed was the  
first 3D-printed building in 2016. The city-state says that by 2025, 
25% of its new buildings will be made using 3D printers.
3D-printed houses have been unveiled in several cities, including 
Austin, Texas. They are highly energy efficient and can be built in 
a matter of days, at a fraction of the cost of traditional residential 
construction. Companies, non-profits, and governments are 
collecting data on the longevity of these houses to determine how 
and when they could become widely available.
This has major implications for the speed and accuracy of construction. 
For example, emergency housing could be 3D printed immediately 
after a natural disaster. Machine construction of infrastructure 
projects could eliminate the risks that come with human error.
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Education
3D printing has the potential to modernize classrooms and better 
prepare students for technical careers.
Educators can produce visual aids  like artifact replicas  to 
bring a lesson to life. Students can engage in hands-on learning 
experiences that bring theory into the real world.
In higher education, 3D printing holds potential not only for 
engineering students, but also for those in departments like art, 
medicine, and anthropology.
MakerBot is one of the most prominent players in 3D printing for 
education. Its printers come with hundreds of STEAM (science, 
technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) lesson plans. 
MakerBots are now available in 5,000 schools throughout the US.
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Food
The main value of 3D food printing lies in convenience and 
customization. As specialized diets become more commonplace, 
3D-printed food is poised to enable more personalized 
on-demand eating experiences.
Originally limited to sugary, processed confections, the 
technology has made strides to encompass a much wider range 
of options. Now, some commercial kitchens have embraced 3D 
printing, and a handful of companies have debuted at-home 3D 
food printer prototypes.
Big names in 3D food printing include Beehex, a pizza printer that 
serves large food service operations, and Yissum, a company that 
employs a natural, calorie-free fiber to bind food components.
Natural Machines' Foodini can print a variety of foods using 
natural ingredients, so long as they are able to be pureed. Natural 
Machines claims that the possibilities are unlimited. The Foodini 
is currently available for commercial kitchens, with a goal to bring 
it to home cooks in the future.
Some food companies are already using 3D printing in their 
production process. Dairy-free milk startup Perfect Day, for 
example, uses 3D printing to make dairy proteins without cows.
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Prosthetics
Many doctors are optimistic about 3D printing's potential to  
make prosthetic limbs, braces, and other mobility devices  
more accessible.
In the US, prosthetics are typically priced anywhere from $5,000 
to $50,000, and the process of obtaining one can take months.  
3D printing drastically cuts costs and production time   
a 3D-printed prosthetic can typically be made in a single day.
For people who wear prosthetics, the quality and comfort of the 
device determines the activities that they can engage in on a daily 
basis, so customization is paramount. 3D printing technology is 
well suited to meet that need.
3D printing could help bring prosthetics to those most in need, 
especially in developing countries affected by conflict or disease. 
Volunteer organization Enabling the Future uses 3D printing to 
make the $50 e-NABLE mechanical hand.
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Pharmaceutical Drugs
3D printing could allow drugs to be manufactured according to an 
individual patient's needs and preferences.
Drug characteristics like shape, color, design, strength, release profile, 
and distribution of ingredients cannot be easily modified in conventional 
manufacturing processes. Now companies like vitamin startup  
Multiply Labs, which leverages 3D printing to build made-to-order 
personal supplements, are demonstrating the power of printing pills.
The technology could also affect injectable drugs. MIT  
researchers have invented a new printing technique to develop 
microparticles that deliver multiple, time-staggered doses of a  
drug from a single vaccination.
There are significant regulatory hurdles that will need to be  
overcome before 3D drug printing goes mainstream. The FDA's  
Office of Testing and Research is further exploring applications of  
3D printing for drug products.
To date, there is only one FDA-approved, 3D-printed drug: Spritam,  
an anti-epileptic seizure medication, is designed to disintegrate within 
seconds after swallowing. The producer, Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, 
claims that the drug's unique structure cannot be achieved through 
conventional manufacturing.
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Automotive
The automotive industry was one of the pioneers of 3D printing. 
For automakers, the technology offers faster, more cost effective 
product development cycles and end products that are strong 
and lightweight.
So far, automotive companies have primarily used 3D printing 
for pre-production tasks. As consumers demand more digitally 
connected and environmentally friendly vehicles, the technology 
has allowed automakers to design, test, and validate new 
concepts faster than ever before.
Automotive companies are increasingly using 3D printing to 
manufacture spare parts, jigs, and interior elements. This can 
decrease reliance on external vendors and speed up the path  
to market.
Several automakers have debuted prototypes that are produced 
almost entirely by 3D printing. Italian company X Electrical 
Vehicle says that that it will bring the first mass-produced 
3D-printed car to market in 2019.
Automakers from Ford to BMW are exploring how to leverage 
the technology for customization. Today, producing small 
batches of customized auto parts and tooling is often cost 
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prohibitive because they are formed with molding, which requires 
a significant up-front investment.
3D printing eliminates the need for molding in many cases, so big 
players like Stratasys could eventually enable fully customized 
vehicles to reach a mainstream market.
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Art
Many in the art community have been quick to embrace 3D  
printing. Today, an artist can draw a design by hand and then 3D 
print it using materials like metal, glass, and ceramics.
In 2014, the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery 
revealed a 3D-printed portrait of President Obama. Other artistic 
feats enabled by 3D printing include a sculptural replica of a  
classic Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," and a project that analyzed the 
entirety of Rembrandt's work.
MIT's Media Lab is envisioning a future in which it's possible to 
create a 3D photorealistic representation of anything, regardless  
of its complexity.
3D printing also can make art more accessible outside of  
museums. Versus Art, for example, uses 3D printing to create 
textured reproductions of famous paintings and displays them for 
schools. Unlike in museums, students are able to touch the replicas 
and feel the exact brush strokes used by the original artists.
Some have noted that 3D printing art brings up a host of ethics  
and copyright concerns.
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Furniture
Designing furniture has traditionally required significant time and 
investment. 3D printing simplifies the process, allowing designers  
to test concepts more quickly and offer customers lower prices.  
A custom table that would typically cost thousands of dollars  
could cost just a couple hundred when printed.
3D printing also works well for controlling the density of a material, 
which means that it can produce more lightweight furniture.
Groups at IKEA and MIT are among those working on bringing 
3D-printed furniture to a mass market.
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Packaging
With 3D printing technology, packaging companies can  
quickly develop new packaging designs and new equipment  
to manufacture packaging. Anubis 3D, for example, invented  
a 3D-printed robotic arm that assembles its packaging  
more efficiently.
3D printing can also be used to fuse product and packaging. 
Energy drink company Smart Cups has developed 3D-printed, 
biodegradable cups that contain some of the drink ingredients. 
The drink is created by adding water to the cup.
In the future, CPG brands could offer customers fully  
customizable packaging options using 3D printing.
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Firearms
3D printing has seen some recent controversy due to its 
applications in firearm production.
The issue started dominating headlines in July 2018, after the 
Department of Justice announced a settlement with startup 
Defense Distributed allowing the company to release digital 
blueprints for 3D-printed guns. A federal judge has since delivered 
the company a temporary restraining order.
Gun safety advocates and law enforcement officials have been 
especially concerned about the printing of plastic guns that could 
go undetected by metal detectors.
Just as governments have not been able to fully eliminate 
counterfeit currency, it may be impossible to completely stop 
3D-printed guns  especially as printing technology becomes 
more accessible.
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Drones
Drones are made up of several small parts that often need 
replacing, making them good candidates for 3D printing.
Today, consumers can buy ready-made printable drone kits 
online. If their drone crashes, they can 3D print spare parts  
like propellers, antenna holders, and protective equipment.
Commercial manufacturers could someday print the entire 
frame of a drone, with parts uniquely customized for specific 
use cases.
US Army researchers have teamed up with the Marines to 
develop 3D-printed UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that 
soldiers could customize for specific missions. They envision 
that soldiers could have the UAV printed within 24 hours of 
entering mission parameters.
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Medical Implants
Customization is crucial to medical implants. Each person's 
anatomy is different, and in surgical settings, time is of the 
essence. 3D printing could be leveraged to drastically improve 
healthcare outcomes in cases involving implants.
A research project in Australia produced a system for bone cancer 
surgery in which an implant is 3D printed just as the cancerous 
bone is being removed. In this case, speed of production is a 
game changer  a situation that would normally require two 
operations can be condensed into one.
In the US, the FDA recently approved a 3D-printed spine implant 
created by Centinel Spine.
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Conservation
From artificial corals to prosthetics for wildlife, 3D printing has 
proven useful in environmental conservation.
Because 3D printing is fast and can use a wide range of natural 
materials, it may serve as a viable alternative to traditional 
environmental restoration techniques. Scientists are even using 
3D-printed tags to track species in danger of extinction.
3D printing has been heralded as an environmentally friendly 
method of manufacturing in general. Printers can be  
programmed to use only the minimum amount of materials 
needed to make a product, and they can perform well with a 
variety of recyclable materials.
However, many environmentalists point out that more research 
needs to be done on the technology's energy consumption and 
emissions footprint.
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Space Tech
The value proposition for 3D printing in the space tech industry is 
clear: 3D printing can produce strong, lightweight equipment, and 
with companies racing to explore space, rapid prototyping is key.
The CEO of Relativity Space believes that the future of space  
tech lies in 3D printing. The company is one of a handful of space 
tech players that are using 3D printing to build better rockets with 
less capital.
Like Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX, Relativity 
has its eyes on Mars, and has stated that 3D printing will be 
critical to scaling a society there.
NASA has also been looking into how it can harness 3D printing:  
it has released open source models of printable projects, such  
as the Apollo 11 landing site.
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Manual Transportation
For human-powered transportation methods, a vehicle's design 
and materials have big implications on its speed and safety. For 
example, carbon road bikes, favored by Tour de France cyclists, 
are typically expensive and labor intensive.
Startup AREVO is using 3D printing to develop carbon fiber bikes, 
which it claims require almost zero human labor.
Consumers are using 3D printing to make bicycle components, 
accessories, spare parts  and sometimes the entire bike. In 
the future, cyclists might pull over at a rest stop and print a 
replacement part for their bicycle, or a new customized helmet.
Consumer-focused 3D printing company MakerBot recently 
debuted a functional 3D-printed skateboard. Skateboard 
enthusiasts could select the specific material, design, and 
technical elements that they want in a new skateboard and have it 
3D printed within a few days.
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Agriculture
3D printing has a lot to offer agriculture, an industry that relies  
on sturdy hardware and often takes place in isolated areas.
Farm equipment is made up of several small parts. If a piece 
breaks during a harvest, the time it takes to get a replacement 
delivered can be problematic. 3D printing presents an  
opportunity to be more self-sufficient, especially for smaller farms.
Some farmers In Myanmar, an area with poor infrastructure and 
limited access to quality tools, are using 3D printing to prototype 
new tools.
In the US, 3D printing has the potential to disrupt battles  
around Right to Repair legislation. If farmers were able to print  
machinery themselves, they would no longer be beholden to  
large machinery companies.
It's possible to imagine future scenarios where rural farmers are 
able to print any spare part they may need, eliminating costly  
trips to the supply store. They could experiment with printing 
materials beyond metal, like recycled plastic, and develop a 
circular economy.
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Aviation
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts 
that 7.2B passengers will travel by air in 2035. To keep up with 
demand, aircraft manufacturers need to reduce costs and boost 
fuel efficiency.
Giants like GE Aviation and Boeing are increasingly looking to 3D 
printing to develop the aircrafts of the future.
GE developed the GE Catalyst, a new turboprop engine, using 3D 
printing. The engine's designers were to combine 855 separate 
parts into just 12.
Boeing announced that it will start using 3D-printed titanium parts 
to construct the 787 Dreamliner jet, which could eventually save 
up to $3M on each jet.
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Archaeology and Cultural 
Preservation
Archaeologists often face challenges with getting access to 
ancient artifacts. Traveling to see an artifact can be costly, but  
not being able to examine it up close can impede research.
With 3D printing, archaeologists can share digital data files so 
that anyone can print an accurate replica of an artifact. The 
printed replica can then be handled and studied freely by 
researchers, students, or the public.
A joint partnership between Harvard, Oxford, and the Dubai Future 
Foundation recently unveiled a 3D-printed replica of the Palmyra 
Triumphal Arch, an ancient ruin that was destroyed by the Islamic 
State in 2015.
In Peru, archaeologists took the mummified remains of an ancient 
priestess and reconstructed her appearance using 3D printing.
In the future, museums could 3D print entire heritage sites, 
bringing the past to life with a level of accuracy that has not been 
possible before.
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Consumer Electronics
Manufacturing devices like smartphones, tablets, and fitness 
trackers typically involves several steps of assembly orchestrated 
to enable mass production.
Manufacturers can use 3D printing to create devices as a single 
part, with no assembly required. This is possible because printers 
can combine conductive ink with the metals and plastics that 
make up a product's exterior.
3D printing also offers greater freedom in design because it can 
eliminate the need for flat circuit boards, allowing for devices of 
all different shapes and sizes. The customization capabilities 
of 3D printing could make it especially powerful for consumer 
electronics, a space where made-to-order products are rare.
Today, consumer electronics manufacturers are using 3D printing 
systems like Optomec to make antennas, sensors, and other 
product elements. In the future, 3D printing could enable smaller, 
sleeker, more customized consumer electronics to be made with 
less waste.
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Toys
Digitization already has transformed the toy industry, with 
manufacturers racing to create tech-enabled toys and compete 
with screens for children's attention.
Now, 3D printing is part of the mix. Parents can print Legos, 
action figures, and board games at home with devices like the 
LulzBot Mini at-home printer.
A team at Michigan Technological University estimated that 
consumers could save $60M per year in toy purchases by printing 
toys themselves. They can also personalize toys and make 
creations that aren't commercially available.
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Entertainment
The entertainment industry is harnessing 3D printing technology 
to make eye-catching props, characters, and sets.
Set and prop designers often make numerous iterations of work 
for their producers before getting approval. Rapid prototyping and 
small batch production through 3D printing could go a long way in 
making these processes more efficient.
Several high-profile films have employed 3D printing. A costume 
designer from Marvel's Black Panther revealed that the team used 
a Stratasys 3D printer to produce some of the costumes used in 
the film.
The Oscar-nominated animated film Anomalisa relied on rapid 
prototyping with 3D printers to create interchangeable faces and 
expressions for the puppets used in their stop-motion animation.
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Fashion and Accessories
The rise of fast fashion has already disrupted the fashion 
industry's seasonality, and 3D printing has the power to further 
accelerate production. It also allows consumers to get involved  
in designing the clothes they wear.
Because 3D printing works well with hard materials, it was 
introduced to the fashion industry with jewelry, shoes, and 
embellishments. Brands like Adidas, Reebok, and New Balance  
all have launched 3D printing initiatives.
Many fashion houses, enabled by 3D technology companies like 
CLO, are now using 3D scanning and 3D printing to create custom 
products. Designer Iris Van Herpen unveiled a collection of 
3D-printed garments during a show at Paris Fashion Week 2018.
Despite 3D printing's potential in the fashion industry, there  
are limitations to what it can do with soft materials and  
non-geometric shapes. Some envision a hybrid future in which  
3D printing works in tandem with traditional methods to leverage 
the best of both worlds.
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Defense
Timing and precision are critical in the defense space. Militaries 
around the world, including the US Army, the British Army, the 
Israeli Defense Forces, and the Chinese People's Liberation 
Army, are experimenting with 3D printing to augment their 
operational capabilities.
The US Department of Defense included funding for 3D printing 
technology in the 2018 US military budget. The Subcommittee 
on Emerging Threats and Capabilities described "significant 
possibilities that additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, will 
provide to the Department of Defense, both in revolutionizing 
the industrial supply chain, as well as in providing radically new 
technological capabilities."
The US military already has debuted a few notable 3D printing 
projects, including a grenade launcher and a drone. This 
concerted interest will likely drive companies that serve the 
US military to further invest in the development of 3D printing 
technology as well.
3D printing could also enable soldiers to produce their own 
medicine and supplies on location.
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Music
The shape and material of an instrument determines its sound. 
While 3D printing has yet to see major traction in the music 
industry, it could enable new possibilities for instrument design, 
composition, and sound.
Instrument manufacturers have started experimenting with 3D 
printing, unveiling creations like a titanium violin and a set of 
customized string instruments.
Printed instruments could become more common as 3D printing 
technology develops to work with more materials outside of 
plastic and metal. 3D printing could also help musicians access 
spare parts while on tour.
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Regenerative Medicine
Scientists and doctors working in regenerative medicine have long 
dreamed of being able to print replacement organs and tissues for 
humans. Demand for organ transplants far exceeds supply.
"Bioprinting" refers to the use of 3D printing to make materials that 
imitate those found in the human body. It can produce tissue, bone, 
blood vessels, and potentially whole organs.
In the near term, bioprinted materials could provide a new way to 
test drug safety without animals or clinical trials. L'Oreal is already 
experimenting with 3D-printed skin to test its cosmetics products.
3D printed tissue has historically failed to connect properly with 
blood vessels to receive oxygen and nutrients, but researchers are 
now developing printed tissue that could survive in a human body. 
This could have implications for conditions ranging from kidney 
failure to arthritis to infertility.
While there is a long way to go before bioprinting can serve human 
patients, there have been successful trials with mice. Scientists at 
Northwestern University implanted 3D-printed ovaries in a mouse 
that went on to reproduce and nurse.
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