Part 1: Introduction Nowadays, 3D has become too much of a buzzword: be it displays, films, cell phones or the newest addition: printers. 3D printers are very similar to traditional printers but instead of printing an image they build an object. The extent of the impact can start from the printing of fine jewelry, up to cutting-edge jet engines or even homes. 3D printing is an old technique, but it has evolved a lot in recent years, going from being a technological factor to reaching a lasting plateau on Gartner's Hype curve. Figure 1: In 2010, 3D printing was starting to capture emerging technology trends. Figure 2: Now 3D printing has evolved to reach a stage that directly affects consumers. 3D printing belongs to a class of manufacturing called additive manufacturing. This differs from traditional manufacturing which is subtractive manufacturing where products are cut, drilled or molded to form shapes. In additive manufacturing a 3D printer prints the entire product into 2D image sheets. So each scan adds a further layer of product overlaid on the previous one. This helps create complex patterns that are difficult to produce using subtractive manufacturing as the pattern is added layer by layer. 3D printing can create objects from a wide range of materials, including plastic, ceramic, metal, glass, paper, enamel and even living cells. These materials are available in the form of powders, liquids, filaments or sheets. With some modifications, a single object can be printed in multiple materials and colors, and a single print job can even produce interconnected moving parts (such as zippers, links, or chain links). History of 3D printing: Hideo Kodama of the Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute in 19......half of paper......billion. In 2014, spending will increase 62% to $669 million, with enterprise spending at $536 million and consumer spending at $133 million. The future forecast for overall additive manufacturing will rise to approximately $11-12 billion from the current $3 billion, representing 300% growth over a 6-year period. manufacturing concept called additive manufacturing which could be explained more simply as layers of product slices are added to form the whole product. This is in contrast to normal "subtractive" manufacturing, where an object is constructed by cutting raw material into the desired shape. So the process begins with designing an idea, uploading it to CAD software, choosing the right material and printing the result.