3D printing is taking over the headlines and the world’s attention. This is probably largely down to the ‘coolness’ of 3D printing – paired with the sheer diversity of amazing things that can be done with a 3D printer.

We’ve highlighted what we found to be some of the most impressive and fascinating recent headlined applications of 3D printing, in highly differentiating industries.

Construction:
The WinSun Decoration Design Engineering Co has successfully 3D printed 10 homes in 24 hours out of recycled materials, each costing around $4,800 to build. Read more..

Medicine:
Dutch surgeons placed an entire 3D-printed skull dome over the brain of a woman suffering from a rare bone disorder in a completely unprecedented surgery. Read more..

Diet:
Scientists 3D print food for the elderly, catering to swallowing issues and dietary specifications. As the printer builds layer upon layer of food material the shape of a food object, such as a chicken wing, will emerge. Read more..

Surgery simulation:
3D-printed kidneys could become standard for simulated cancer surgery. Exact scale models of the affected kidneys in patients who have kidney cancer have been produced to simulate the surgery on the kidney before performing the real one. Read more..

Fashion:
3D-printed fabrics woven into swimsuit collection on Shanghai Fashion Week. The 3D printed range quickly became the highlight of the week. The swimwear designer says that 3D printing technology allows you to add delicate elements to designs, enhancing style while maintaining a soft look. Read more..

Prosthetics:
Carpenter who cut off his fingers makes ‘Robohand’ with a 3D printer, creating affordable mechanical prosthetics by printing body parts such as knuckles and joints. Read more..

Animation:
Stop motion animation created with 3D printing as creative agency DBLG has created a stop-motion animation of a bear climbing stairs by 3D printing every single model for each frame. Read more..

Human modelling:
Guides were designed to cut and re-position the bones of a man’s face after a serious motorbike crash. All the models, including the guides and titanium implants, were made using 3D printing. Read more..

This is only a very small selection of 3D printing applications that are in the news right now. It is safe to say that this is an innovation-hungry industry of huge potential!

The big question is, what next?