There are a lot of hot technologies out there, but the one that we are the most excited about is 3D printing. These days, this is something that people are only just starting to hear about, despite the fact that it is being used by an increasing number of companies, in a growing number of serious ways. It’s being used for commercial prototyping, for production-quality jewelry, for fashionable prosthetics, and even in consumer robotics. Of sorts.

But 2012 could well be the year that 3D printing becomes truly mainstream. To begin with, one expert believes that next year could be the year that a company like FedEx Kinko’s will start offering 3D printing as a consumer-level service. Though there are already companies like Freedom of Creation, Shapeways, and Ponoko that offer people the ability to have their models 3D printed, there’s still a technological barrier to entry that has restricted such business to people able to overcome those hurdles. “A local ‘print while you wait’ service would connect with many novice and hobbyist users–the real growth market for 3D printing,” says Scott Summit of Bespoke Innovations.

Personalized 3D printing will gain more traction than ever in 2012. (Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

All of this means, Summit says, that a company like Autodesk, which is pioneering the software tools that people will use to innovate in 3D printing, could become the Apple of the creative space.

At the same time, 3D printing is also on the verge of breaking in to some new–and important–areas. One is space. And there’s ample evidence that there could soon be 3D printed structures on the International Space Station. “Research groups have shown, in limited test cases, that [3D printing] is possible in zero-gravity,” Summit explained. “The next step is to apply this to the real world–so to speak: Applications beyond the terra firma.”

Via: CNet

Working closely with Autodesk, and 3D Systems, WB Engineering provides the best solutions for your design challenges, with an offering which includes everything from Autodesk training, to design process automation & ERP integration, to 3D Printing. Located in Miami focused on the manufacturing and industrial markets, we are an engineering services company, combining talented people and business processes to provide Digital and Rapid Prototyping solutions (products and services). All of our efforts are focused on helping companies compress time to market, and decreasing design cost to add to our customers bottom line. Our approach to Digital Prototyping and Rapid Prototyping is scalable and cost effective, which can help your organization boost design efficiency — while delivering more innovative design ideas.