Changing the System: Where 3D Printing is Now

3D printing burst into the public conscience in the mid-late 2000s when, after decades of development, printers entered the realm of affordability. In 2009, the patent for Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), a printing process that uses a continuous filament to ‘print’ objects layer by layer, expired and commercial FDM entered the market.

It was hailed as a game changer, the key to a new era of high-tech and efficient manufacturing, but could it live up to its promise? We delve into the possibilities and limitations of a printed future, and explore what 3D printing means in a plastic-free world.