Additive manufacturing (AM) — more commonly known as 3D printing — has pivoted from a niche solution to a supply chain mainstay. As AMFG notes, the materials market for 3D printing technology alone is now worth more than $1.5 billion and is on track to add another $4.5 billion in just five years. And according to a recent Ultimaker survey, pandemic pressures have also spurred an uptick in additive manufacturing interest, with 71% of companies now aware of 3D-printing potential and 39% already adopting the technology.

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But how did AM get its start? How does it work? What’s currently being done with 3D printed materials, and what’s on the horizon for this build-as-you-go solution? Making the Math Work While 3D-printing advancements have come fast and furious in the last few years, the underlying concept is more than three decades old. As The American Society of Mechanical Engineers notes, the first 3D-printing technology patent was filed in 1980 by Hideo Kodama, who developed a photopolymer-based printing system that used UV light to harden materials. Although Kodama’s idea was never commercialized, it paved the way for advancement in the AM space. In 1983, Charles Hull created the first stereolithography apparatus (SLA), […]

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