Part 1: Introduction Nowadays, 3D has become a buzzword: whether with screens, films, mobiles or the most recent: printers. 3D printers are a lot like traditional printers, but instead of printing an image, they build an object. The scale of impact can start from the printing of fine and delicate jewelry to advanced aircraft engines or even homes. 3D printing is an old technique, but it has evolved a lot in recent years, going from being a technological trigger to being a lasting plateau on the Gartner Hype curve. Figure 1: In 2010, 3D printing was beginning to adapt to emerging technology trends. Figure 2: Today, 3D printing has evolved to 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 in which products are cut, drilled or molded to form shapes. In additive manufacturing, a 3D printer prints the entire product as slices of 2D images. Each scan therefore adds an additional layer of product superimposed on the previous one. This helps create patterns that are difficult to make using subtractive manufacturing because the pattern is added layer by layer. 3D printing can create objects from a range of materials, including plastic, ceramic, metal, glass, paper, enamel and even living cells. These materials are available as powders, liquids, filaments or sheets. With a few 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 hinges, mesh, or chain links). History of 3D printing: Hideo Kodama of Nagoya Municipal Industrial Research Institute in 19...... middle of paper ......llion. In 2014, spending will increase 62 percent to $669 million, with the business segment at $536 million and consumer spending at $133 million. The future forecast for global additive manufacturing will reach around $11-12 billion from the current $3 billion, representing a 300% growth over a 6-year period. Figure 6: Projected growth of the 3D printing industry. How 3D Printing Works: 3D printers primarily use a manufacturing concept called additive manufacturing which could be explained in a simpler way when layers of product slices are added to form the entire product. This contrasts with classic “subtractive” manufacturing, in which an object is constructed by cutting a raw material into the desired shape. So the process starts with designing an idea, uploading it to CAD software, choosing the right material, and then printing the result..