What Is 3d Technology?

Introduction

What is 3D technology?  3D technology can be described as a three-dimensional technology that offers a wide array of possibilities in near future that affects almost every walk of life and especially in entertainment segment. 3D printing technology or additive manufacturing (AM) is used to convert a 3D model into a three-dimensional object and the material used for this purpose is called 3DP material.

History of 3D printing technology
3D printing technology has existed for over thirty years, long before it was commercialized. Nonetheless, three dimensional printers were characterized as being inefficient as the industry redeveloped at a slow pace during that era (Lanzetta & Sachs, 2003). The quick popularization and growth of three dimensional printing begun only after the start of the twenty first century as several obstacles to accessing this technology were broken which reduce the varied barriers that made the 3D technology accessible and available to potential organizations and users alike.

3D Printing Materials

The 3D printing materials market comprises manufacturers such as 3D Systems Corporation (U.S.), Arcam AB (Sweden), Arkema S.A. (France), Royal DSM N.V. (Netherlands), and Stratasys Ltd. (U.S.). The end-use industries of 3D printing materials majorly include aerospace & defense, medical & dental, automotive, and consumer goods among others.

3D Printers can use a wide range of materials including , Sintered powdered metal, Metals, such as stainless, bronze, steel, gold, nickel steel, aluminum, and titanium, Carbon fiber and other composites, Carbon nanotubes and graphene embedded in plastics, Nitinol, Water-absorbing plastic, Stem cells, Conductive carbomorph (carbon black plus plastic), Paper, Concrete, food, yarn.

Global 3D Printing Material Market

The main drivers of growth of 3D printing material are due to high demand in the end-use sectors and the rapid acceptance of 3D printing technology from prototyping, product designing, and modelling to final product manufacturing and development of advanced and unconventional materials. Currently, printers support up to 107 types of materials and plastics are the most widely used materials in additive manufacturing due to the growth in consumer 3D printing industry. Some of the important plastics include Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polyvinyl Alcohol Plastic (PVA) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). With the invention of home 3D printers that uses plastic filaments to 3D print any object, the demand for these materials has grown aggressively and this trend is expected to continue in the next five years.

North America is the leading producer of 3DP materials.  Asia-Pacific’s (APAC’s) market is relatively small as compared to Americas; however it is growing rapidly as well. With respect to the global market, the United States (U.S.) itself holds half of the entire 3DP materials market share with existing major players like 3D Systems and Stratasys. Europe is the second major and the fastest growing market followed by APAC. The demand for 3DP materials is growing at a steady pace across the globe.  Other factors affecting the growth of the market include technology innovation, efficiency and flexibility of printers and availability of cheaper good quality materials