Design and manufacturing engineers have been using 3D printing for some time now and while it hasn't revolutionized anything 3D printing has certainly made the

Design and manufacturing engineers have been using 3D printing for some time now and while it hasn't revolutionized anything 3D printing has certainly made the discipline more efficient and lowered the bar for prototyping. We now have a fully established rapid prototyping flow that allows an ME to"print" a part without even fiddling with the actual printer or stereolith machine. The only flipside is that customers can see the real thing much earlier and do not understand that at least two or three more engineering disciplines are involved in turning a prototype into a product. I think the potential for the home user and tinkerer is enormous and that can only be good. Companies that can afford in-house 3D printing are also the ones least likely to address niche markets or crazy ideas.