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SPECIALTY IMAGING DIGITAL GRAPHICS 68 • September 2014 • S I G N & D I G I T A L G R A P H I C S R obotic 3D printing is taking the industrial printing market by storm. The 3D printing market has continued to grow rapidly since its inception almost 30 years ago. However, recent projections about the future have truly startled those with an invested interest in the indus- try. According to a report from Lux Research, the world's 3 D printing market will quadruple by the year 2025, turn- ing it into a $12B industry. The Boston- based research firm states that 3D printer sales alone will add up to $3.2B in 2025. Adding to that figure will be another $2B in value produced by materials; however, the industry will see the greatest value, $7B, from parts and products produced by service bureaus. The 3D Printing Process 3D printing is part of the additive manufacturing process that can be used for making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The printing is done in parts and then, the final object is created by adding materials layer by layer. The additive manufacturing pro- cess allows designers to manufacture prototypes and replicas, complex parts of machines and even automotive parts in a matter of minutes and at minimum cost. Printers range from high-speed, high- production units to smaller "prosumer" models for the home use. Rock Hill, S.C.-based 3D Systems is one of leading providers of 3D print- ing design-to-manufacturing solutions including 3D printers, print materials and cloud-sourced on-demand custom parts and materials including plastics, metals, ceramics and more. Chuck Hull 3 D P R I N T I N G The Changing 3D Printing Scene Lower prices, higher quality and greater ease of use help bring 3D printing technology to small businesses B y B I L L S C H I f f N e R Bill Schiffner is a freelance writer/editor based in Holbrook, N.Y. He has covered the imaging industry for 25 years and has reported on many evolving digital imaging technologies including wide-format print- ing and newer electronic digital signage. He was the editor for a number of imag- ing publications and websites. He can be reached at bschiffner@optonline.net. For the personal 3D desktop printing market, 3D Systems offers the CubeX Duo. (Image courtesy of 3D Systems) Roland subtrac- tive rapid proto- typing machines provide snap-fit, functional parts and prototypes milled from a wide variety of materials with smooth surface finish and tight tolerances. (Images courtesy of Roland DGA)