3D printing started off as a novelty with very few industrial applications, but this is changing rapidly as the printers get better and faster. As the technology improves, more and more custom and complex parts are being made using 3D printing, as opposed to conventional methods because it’s cheaper and faster and produces higher-quality components. 3D printing is often called additive manufacturing, which indicates the key difference from traditional methods of producing parts which are subtractive processes. Whether done by hand, a CNC machine or some combination of both, subtractive processes form parts by removing or subtracting material from bar or other stock, whereas 3D printing produces parts by adding material in layers.
