Product Q&A: the myriad applications of 3D printing

Jennifer Milne, Product Marketing Lead at Formlabs

Dave Veisz, VP of Engineering, MakerBot

Bryan Austin, Director of Additive Manufacturing Sales, Renishaw

JM: One of the major trends driving additive manufacturing is material science. The materials that are used in the 3D printing process, when coupled with novel designs only possible with 3D printing, enable customers to develop products that perform better than those created through traditional means of manufacturing. Material science is impacting every application 3D printing can be used for - from healthcare to engineering. In the healthcare use case in particular, the customer need for biocompatible materials is driving the industry to create plastics that are ISO 13485 certified.

DV: Our products are developed with customers’ needs in mind. We work with companies that operate across different industries, including automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, and robotics, so the demand for engineering-grade materials is high. As a result, we have been developing advanced materials that address their needs, such as Nylon Carbon Fiber, PC-ABS and PC-ABS FR. We have also partnered with leading global materials companies, including BASF, Kimya, Mitsubishi Chemical, Polymaker, Lehvoss, and Jabil, to launch MakerBot LABS for METHOD, an open materials platform that lets our users print a variety of specialty materials, future-proofing their investment in a 3D printing platform.