Metal 3D printing seems to be the most advanced established form of 3D printing there is to date. Although the printing of plastics for medical devices and the promise of glass 3D printing both offer potentially revolutionary qualities, the capabilities granted by metal 3D printing are currently changing billion dollar industries at an incredibly rapid pace. Mega companies like Boeing and GE Aviation are just two out of many industry leaders investing millions in additive manufacturing for metal components and rapid prototyping.
Despite the heavy investment in metal 3D printing, the technology is still new enough so that methods to ensure superior quality and complex printing free of errors have still not been fully developed. As the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering puts it, “developing complex geometries with fewer errors and distortions, as well as quality standards to test the manufactured items, have not kept pace with the technology.”
Via Chuck Sherwood, Former Senior Associate, TeleDimensions, Inc
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We currently utilize plastic printers, but the advent of metal printing (in an affordable setting) would radically improve the capacity of our "micro" design and fabrication efforts.