Of all the promising technology breakthroughs – blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) – none are closer to bringing real change to the way we live and work than additive manufacturing (AM).

Using specific volumes of material to sculpt a part, layer-by-layer, offers advantages that expand the boundaries of feasibility in manufacturing.While the technology can create plastic or ceramic parts, metal AM is growing and developing quickest.While it’s not a cure-all or miracle solution – a number of key applications can be most efficiently handled with metal 3D printing – the list is growing by the month. The detailed analysis that should accompany any decision to integrate AM into a process is too vast in scope to cover here but following are a few introductory points to help.