Is 3D printing affecting manufacturing?

Hello all,I have read a lot of articles about the use cases and advantages of 3D printing in many industries. But recently I read a news in The Manufacturing Outlook magazine that 3D printing is affecting the manufacturing industries. It can reduce the number of manufacturing jobs, increased number of copyright violation and limiting the number of raw materials. I would like to know more on this. Do share your views! Thanks in advance.

I keep on hearing about 3D printing being used in (typically lower volume) mass production, but I have yet to meet someone who actually does use it.

I know companies like Ford, Boeing and many other large companies have been investigating its use in production and there has been a ton of buzz on the internet when a big name company says they WILL be using 3D printing. The thing is though, is that it always seems to be something they are planning on doing in the future. Its always tomorrow, and tomorrow is always a day away.

As someone who works in manufacturing (at companies typically much smaller than the ones I listed) I have yet to meet someone in the industry with experience using 3D printing in a mass production environment. I use a lot of 3D printing for other things, but not quite at the point of seeing it viable for our production stuff.

Thanks you Haz for sharing your views. I'm also trying to get more information on this, but i'm not getting any clear ideas of its drawbacks in manufacturing sector. Will update this, if I get to know any new info.

3D printing also known as additive manufacturing is a process of producing three dimensional objects from a digital source file. The use of 3D printing plastics in manufacturing not only eliminates waste of raw materials, but also allows the design engineer to produce complex engineering parts with greater versatility. A variety of small businesses are working to make 3D printing a viable option for industrial manufacturing. Although it can reduce the number of manufacturing jobs, it also reduces waste of raw materials.