73 People Took "I'll Make It Myself" To A Whole New Level

3D printing may have been in the public consciousness since the 2010s, but there remains a number of misconceptions about it. Engineering.com addressed some of those, beginning with the most common one: “3D printers are difficult to operate.” 

While the article did clarify that 3D printers have more calibration parameters, having a deep enough understanding of the materials involved and how it works makes operating them much easier.

Another common myth is that 3D printing will replace other manufacturing processes. But much like the prevalence of AI, 3D printers won’t be able to do a full takeover. Rather, they will serve as a supplement to current manufacturing applications. 

“In any case, the relative costs, production speeds and size constraints of 3D printing make it unlikely to replace other manufacturing processes completely in the foreseeable future,” an excerpt from the article reads. 

When 3D printers came out over a decade ago, several companies had a common goal: to allow the common person to explore their creativity through their devices. 

In a 2013 interview with Smithsonian Magazine, Elisa Richardson, then PR and social media manager of 3D printing company Shapeways, shared how they are “giving people access to million-dollar machines.”

Richardson added that everyday folks with access to 3D printers have created far more functional, practical pieces to improve their lives. 

“We’re enabling them to run businesses through our company,” Richardson said. “It’s amazing how unsurprising the stuff we make is. It’s a doorknob or a crib part from a mom in suburbia.”