“Additive manufacturing” refers to a group of technologies that create objects from 3D computer models, usually by joining or printing materials, layer upon layer hence the term “additive.” Colloquially, these technologies are referred to as “3D printing.” Simple 3D printing has been around since the 1980s and has mostly been used for “rapid prototyping” of mechanical models in plastic. Additive manufacturing is expanding to become a manufacturing paradigm that many industry experts believe will disrupt the current industrial manufacturing base in five years and totally transform the base within ten years.
Today, the cost of 3D printing equipment is falling and the formidable data service provided by the Internet “cloud” promises “anyone-anywhere” access to 3D computer models. A proliferation of 3D printers is now available, ranging from small and simple home printers that can make plastic objects to industrial printers that can print in more than 60 materials, including metal, glass, sand and even human tissue. For example, the 3D bioprinter company Organovo is collaborating with the software company Autodesk Inc. to develop tools to design and print blood vessels, liver tissue and other replacement parts for the human body.
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