We’ve all heard so much about 3D printing over the past decade that some might be numb to exactly how amazing this tech actually is. Sure, one can see the benefit of having a printer that can create a specific part for some specialized machine, but to be frank, 3D printing hasn’t trickled down much into the everyday human experience. But that’s about to change. The reason for the change is, as noted above, new developments in the technology itself and new developments in learning how to use 3D printing with materials as disparate as food and metal. You might be surprised to hear what some companies are printing in the year 2022. Vegan steak sounds like a silly oxymoron but is now a reality due to 3D printed meat. Of course, it’s not meat from an animal, but rather made of 100% plant-based materials that are then extruded by a 3D food printer that uses the above-mentioned layered technology. This tech has now made possible the production of faux meat so ‘meaty’ that reviewers are giving it 9 out of 10 stars. But, as artificial intelligence merges with additive manufacturing, expect that score number to go up to 10 – as the combined technology delivers exponential development.

Robby Bowles told The Scientist that several companies are 3D printing ears. These are helping children born with a defect that leaves their ears underdeveloped. Bowles says ear transplants are a kind of “first proof of concept of 3D printing for medicine.” Scientists are also printing ‘mini organoids’ and ‘microfluidics models of tissues.’ These fancy terms are more easily understood when described as ‘organs on chips.’ Medical researchers are using these organs on chips to discover and test ideas. One team, for example, wanted to test the cardiac toxicity of doxorubicin, a rather famous cancer drug. So, they printed cardiac cells on a chip, and then connected it to a bioreactor. The researchers were then able to prove that the beating rate of cells on the chip decreased significantly… giving them valuable info on how the drug interacts with heart cells. This kind of info previously would have taken many years of studies and perhaps animal testing, but those days look set to soon be over.

We are by no means even close to the golden era of 3D printing. But we are moving past the technology’s infancy and into, perhaps, early adolescence. What’s coming just a few years in the future is going to revolutionize… well – everything; from food to medicine.