Are 3D Printers the Future? Or are they just a fun toy?

Normal printers are pretty cool. They take our digital images and documents and put them on paper for us to see and share. But what if instead of flat pieces of paper to share with your family and friends, you were able to give them 3D objects. A mini statue of them as a gift or maybe a cool puzzle to replace the usual card. You could even make a mini diorama of your family instead of a family Christmas card.

But how is this done? What is the wizard’s name I need to talk to to learn the right kind of magic for this task? Well you’re in luck! (Sort of) There’s no complicated magic studies with a creepy old wizard involved. Though the tools necessary to printing three dimensional objects are a bit expensive and that may be just as bad.

Currently, you can pick up a small 3D printer for about $400. Though, as I listed above, only small objects are able to be made at this price. Larger 3D printers that can print useful mechanical objects go for thousands of dollars.

These large 3D printers allow for amazing things though. SpaceX is able to entirely 3D print a their space ship’s engine lowering production cost dramatically. Some companies can 3D print completely working gun. Other companies 3D print repairs for their products.

3D printing is just around the corner in the world’s technology life span. It is one of those technologies that everyone is saying will be the future of printing. We won’t be able to live with out it and its plethora of benefits. But we’ll just have to see!