3D printing has been developed for decades since it appeared in the mid-1990s. But the development of this industry is not very mature. So what is the development direction of 3D printing? I think there are three aspects.
Standards and standard setting bodies
When a laboratory makes drawings and needs to share them, it will find that there are too many formats and standards. Therefore, the field of 3D printing prototypes seems to grow wildly without standards.
Open source design, configuration and software
When there is a unified standard, 3D printing industry will usher in open source. Now, too many teams focus on improving their 3D printing level and developing in self closed loop. In fact, the industry needs open source equipment and software to produce more useful, efficient and open innovation under a unified standard.
Prototype Lab
Prototype printing is not taken seriously. So now many medical device manufacturers place printing equipment in a dirty and dusty place. In fact, there are already commercial 3D printing laboratories to help these enterprises print higher quality prototypes.
In conclusion, the development direction of 3D printing should be more standard, open and mature.