3D打印有什么好處？

2015年，這個問題變得越發重要，原因是在社交網絡上華麗展示3D打印飾品最多似乎只能換回一句話：“噢，又一個3D打印的尤達大師頭像？真有創意。”

一年前3D打印還風光無限，如今則處處顯露著窘迫之相。美國3D打印行業龍頭Stratasys和3D Systems一度高歌猛進。眼下，一家公司的桌面型3D打印機部門已兩次裁員，另一家則辭退了首席執行官和部分員工，還退出了消費型3D打印機市場。以前，3D打印似乎無處不在，服裝！食品！榔頭！現在，它在添加制造領域的主要用途是生產原型，這絕不會成為大家在跨年雞尾酒會上的閑聊話題。

看來，3D打印技術依然過于不可靠，過于復雜，進入主流應用的速度也太慢。投資于3D打印的公司需要有大量資金，以便購置逾10萬美元一臺的設備并培訓人員來操作3D打印機。

不過，雖然存在這些障礙，2016年對3D打印行業來說依然前景光明。以下就是在新的一年里可以期待的五件事。

新的參與者：更多的公司進入了3D打印領域，并帶來了吸引人的廣告宣傳。Xjet計劃推出更便捷、成本更低的金屬打印工藝。東芝和歐特克正在或者已經開發出了自己的3D打印機。惠普將推出Multi Jet Fusion 3D打印機，這可能是該公司最大的一次賭博。外界預計這款產品可以打印彩色物體，而且打印速度是市場上現有產品的10倍。

速度更快的3D打印機：速度是關鍵。打印速度加快意味著3D打印機將成為制造流程的一環，而不是設計師和工程師用來制造和測試新產品的工具。新老公司都意識到了這一點。3D打印交易網站首席執行官彼得?維依瑪邵森說：“制造出新型3D打印機是個絕佳的消息。3D打印機廠商都知道速度是關鍵。速度越快，用的人就越多，這有助于市場的成長。”

高爾夫球定律：如果可以放進高爾夫球里，可能就已經適于3D打印。這條定律由3D打印軟件和服務商Materialise提出，它有可能讓3D打印在2016年實現突破。3D打印顧問尤里斯?皮爾斯說：“尺寸小、價值高而又獨特的物品最適合3D打印。”這樣的東西有首飾、助聽器和外科金屬植入物等，但也包括較大制造產品中的細小零部件。

彩色打印機：總的來說，目前桌面型3D打印機的局限在于它們無法打印出彩色物品。幾年后，3D打印有可能在消費者中得到廣泛應用，桌面型3D打印機將走進家庭，而不是學校或企業。彩色3D打印機或許將有助于這一天的早日到來。MakerBot和3D Systems已經在為此努力。預計其他3D打印機廠商也將采取同樣的行動。

金屬打印：在匹茲堡，鋁業巨頭美鋁有個大膽的計劃，那就是為金屬3D打印開發更好的原材料。Stratasys和3D Systems也在推進自己的同類項目。如果3D打印真的是制造業的未來，那就必須有一種可靠又劃算的方法來打印金屬產品。（財富中文網）

譯者：Charlie

校對：詹妮

What is 3D printing good for?

That’s a question that’s become increasingly relevant in 2015, as the majesty of showing off 3D-printed trinkets has seemingly led to nothing more than a great slogan for your latest Willy Wonka meme: “Oh, another 3D-printed Yoda head? How innovative.”

Signs of stress have infiltrated an industry that just a year ago was at the top of its game. Stratasys and 3D Systems, the giants of the U.S. 3D-printing industry, were soaring. Now one has experienced two rounds of layoffs in its desktop 3D-printer division, and the other has said farewell to a CEO, some employees, and the consumer 3D-printer market. The bounds of what 3D printing could do seemed limitless:Dresses! Food! Hammers! Now the main application of additive manufacturing technology—prototyping, mostly—is something you probably won’t brag about at your New Year’s Eve cocktail party.

3D-printing technology still appears too unreliable, too complicated, and too slow for mainstream adoption. The companies making investments in it are the ones with significant amounts of capital to purchase $100,000-plus equipment and train the personnel needed to operate 3D printers.

But despite these obstacles, 2016 looks promising for the 3D-printing industry. Here are five things to look forward to in the new year.

New Players: More companies are diving into 3D printing with attractive sales pitches. Xjet is planning to introduce an easier, cheaper way to print metal. Toshiba and Autodesk are developing or have already developed their own 3D printers. And HP, in perhaps its biggest gamble, will bring to market its Multi Jet Fusion printers, which are supposed to be able to print objects in a variety of colors and 10 times faster than current printers on the market today.

Faster Printers: Speed is key. Faster 3D printers means machines that become components of the manufacturing process instead of machines that designers and engineers use to build and test new parts. This is something companies new and old recognize. “It’s great news that new 3D printers are built and that manufacturers understand that speed is a key feature,” says Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of online 3D-printing marketplace Shapeways. “The faster they get, the more people will use them, which helps grow the market.”

The ‘Golf Ball’ Rule: If it can fit inside a golf ball, it’s probably something ripe for 3D printing. That’s a rule attributed to 3D-printing software and services company Materialise, and it’s one that could make 2016 a breakout year for 3D printing. “Small, high-value items that need to be unique are the sweet spot,” says 3D-printing consultant Joris Peels. That means things like jewelry, hearing aids, and dental implants, but also tiny pieces of larger, manufactured items.

Multicolor Printers: One of the current limitations of desktop 3D printers is their inability, generally, to print one object in different colors. Widespread consumer adoption of 3D printing—desktop 3D printers in homes as opposed to schools or business—is several years down the line, if it happens at all. Having printers that could print in multiple colorscould help. MakerBot and 3D Systems are already working on this. Look for others to do the same.

Metal Printing: Out in Pittsburgh, aluminum giant Alcoa has a bold plan to develop better raw materials for metal 3D-printing. Stratasys and 3D Systems are also pushing ahead with their own projects. If 3D printing is truly the future of manufacturing, then there has to be a reliable and cost-effective way to print metals.