3d printing evaluation

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3D Printing is defined as the additive manufacturing process where physical objects are created from a digital design. There is a variety of 3D printing technologies as well as the materials that can be printed on, but at the baseline, they all work using the same concept where a solid three-dimensional physical object is created from a digital model by adding materials on each layer (Ventola, 2014).
3D printing can be of help to anyone regardless of the profession or industry they are working in. In the automotive industry, this type of printing has been used in prototyping, testing and eventually manufacturing of custom car parts that are used mostly in formula 1. In medicine, most of the current hearing aids are 3D printed as each person requires a custom one due to different ear sizes. 3D printing has made mass customization of goods for consumers possible, and even the shoe industry is taking up on this technology for shoe customization. Architects have also deployed this technology in designing scale models which were extremely time-consuming and laborious in the past but have become more easy and fast to create due to 3D printing (Birtchnell & Hoyle, 2014).
There are many pros associated with this technology; first, it can create intricate designs shapes and parts which the conventional methods cannot produce. 3D printing allows customization on every item as one only needs to make changes to the digital design at no more expense.

This technology is time conscious and easy to use. There is less waste associated with this technology as it is an additive process hence only enough material is used to create an individual object. However it also has its cons; high production cost for large designs, Due to its layer by layer fabrication, the designs from 3D printing are often weak in comparison to those of conventional means. Finally, this technology has lower precision especially in objects that need fine details (Lipson & Kurman, 2013).
References
Birtchnell, T., & Hoyle, W. (2014). What is 3D Printing?. In 3D Printing for Development in the Global South: The 3D4D Challenge (pp. 36-48). Palgrave Pivot, London.
Lipson, H., & Kurman, M. (2013). Fabricated: The new world of 3D printing. John Wiley & Sons.
Ventola, C. L. (2014). Medical applications for 3D printing: current and projected uses. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 39(10), 704.