Advances in three dimensional printing - state of the art and future perspectives

Purpose - This paper surveys the current state and capabilities of three dimensional printing (3DP). A comprehensive review of 3D Printing applications is presented. The scope of the applications includes design, manufacturing, the medical field and architecture. Design/methodology/approach - A large variety of manufacturing applications such as rapid pattern making and rapid tooling using the 3DP process directly or as core technology, as well as further implications in design and engineering analysis, medicine, and architecture are presented and evaluated. Findings - Some research issues are also discussed. An attempt, based on the state of the art, to show weaknesses and opportunities, and to draw conclusions about the future of this important process rounds up this paper. Research limitations/implications - The scope of this research survey is limited to evaluation and comparison of processes that may be characterised as 3D printing technologies. Practical implications - The study is very useful as a basis for matching evaluated 3D printing machine and process capabilities to user requirements, and forms a framework on which future comparative studies can build. Originality/value - A comprehensive overview of the capabilities of 3DP processes is presented and evaluated. It shows the application of 3D printing beyond concept modelling. The paper is valuable for researchers as well as individuals, who require adequate and relevant comparative information during decision making.