what is 3d printing 
three dimensional 3d printing is an additive manufacturing process that creates a physical object from a digital design the process works by laying down thin layers of material in the form of liquid or powdered plastic metal or cement and then fusing the layers together understanding 3d printingsince it was introduced 3d printing technology has already increased manufacturing productivity in the long term it has the potential to massively disrupt both the manufacturing logistics and inventory management industries especially if it can be successfully incorporated into mass production processes currently 3d printing speeds are too slow to be used in mass production however the technology has been used to reduce the lead time in the development of prototypes of parts and devices and the tooling needed to make them this is hugely beneficial to small scale manufacturers because it reduces their costs and the time to market that is the amount of time from a product being conceived until its being available for sale 3d printing can create intricate and complex shapes using less material than subtractive manufacturing processes such as drilling welding injection molding and other processes making prototypes faster easier and cheaper allows for more innovation experimentation and product based startups industrial usescar and aircraft manufacturers have taken the lead in 3d manufacturing using the technology to transform unibody and fuselage design and production and powertrain design and production boeing is using 3d printed titanium parts in the construction of its 787 dreamliner airliner 1 in 2017 general electric created a helicopter engine with 16 parts instead of 900 an indication of how big an impact 3d printing could potentially have on supply chains 2several companies are using 3d printing technology in many industries in medical sciences 3d printing is being used to customize implants in the future organs and body parts may be created using 3d printing techniques in the fashion world nike adidas and new balance are using 3d printing to create their shoes 345 in the construction industry companies around the world are making breakthroughs in 3d printing of the materials needed to build homes using layers of concrete homes can be built in 24 hours which are stronger than regular cinder blocks and cost a fraction of the price in the manufacturing of hearing aids 3d printing is now customary the use of 3d printing accelerates the process of manufacturing and enables manufacturers to make custom hearing aids audiologists can use 3d scanners to create a custom prototype using reference points from the scan manufacturers can feed the scan into a 3d printing machine and after fine tuning the materials and the ear shapes print the entire hearing aids 6