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The early history of additive manufacturing or 3D printing (the term that seems easier for the uninitiated to get their heads round) can be traced back to the beginning of the 1980s. However, it has taken some time for the process to get established in an industrial environment.
In fact, when I first started writing about engineering it still seemed a technology very much suited to the R&D and rapid prototyping arena. The idea that ‘proper’ components, made layer-by-layer, could be suitable for perpetual use on planes, trains and automobiles still seemed a long way off.
In fact, relatively low volume sectors such as aerospace seem to be grabbing the technology with both hands. Not only is the industry heavily investing in the process itself, but there also seem to be numerous government backed projects to literally get 3D printed parts off the ground…
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