Opportunities and challenges of 3d printing technology - An Indian perspective

The 3D printing industry can be seen as a growing industry with developments being made at every stage. No wonder newer technologies are emerging. But there is requirement of new 3D printers that can be used for multiple platforms with multiple filaments. 3D printing has been evolving as a technique to create 3D models and prototypes, in many industries, namely, automotive, aerospace, healthcare, and consumer products- in order to investigate the possibility of completing a project in lesser time and with few resources. It was 2010-11, when the term 3D printing was just beginning to enter the public mindset. More companies were realising the potential of 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping. However, in the last two decades, 3D printing has made a radical shift from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing mainly, because of its advantages over traditional manufacturing practices such as injection molding, CNC machining, and vacuum casting. The major driving factors which makes the Indian firms that support the exponential growth of 3D printing include - the development of new and improved technologies, financial support from governments, large application areas, rapid product development at a low cost, and ease in development of custom products. Since India shows a positive signal towards 3D printing which provide tremendous growth opportunities especially in manufacturing technologies. India is aggressively taking initiatives such as huge investment and government funding in R&D, to promote 3D printing as a manufacturing technique across all the sectors. 3D Printing was initially a solution looking for a problem. With any world changing technology, it only matters once it actually does change the world.