Think of 3D printing as erosion in reverse.

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Bodies of water wear substances down layer by near-imperceptible layer; 3D printers build substances up in a similar way.

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Like all technology, of course, 3D printing isn’t nearly as old as the tides. 3D Printing Companies to Watch Stratasys 3D Systems Relativity Space CELLINK Makerbot Stratasys nTopology Desktop Metal Protolabs Xometry Glowforge The concept dates back to the early ‘80s, when Dr. Hideo Kodama almost patented it in Japan. He wrote some path-breaking papers on the hardening or “curing” of ultra-thin layers of liquid photopolymer under UV light, noting that this additive process could translate into speedy prototyping.

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Due to a bureaucratic issue, though, Kodama’s patent never went through. Consequently, credit for 3D printing typically goes to Charles Hull, an American engineer who founded 3D Systems, the original 3D printing company, back in 1986. It made the first machines that could […]

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