A 3D-printing revolution is on the horizon, and this is not news to anyone. Because of its widespread use in a wide range of industries and the fact that its production costs are falling on a nearly weekly basis, 3D printing has the potential to contribute to the solution of two of the world's most pressing contemporary problems: the energy and housing crises.

There is a housing crisis, and there is a printed solution.
Apis Cor, a 3D-printing company with offices in Russia and California, built a house in just 24 hours for a total cost of $10,000 in the area. Given the fact that more than 1.

Already, competitors to Apis Cor, such as a partnership between the nonprofit New Story and the firm ICON, have unveiled a home with a similar construction timeframe and a construction cost of only $4,000. DUS Architects, based in the Netherlands, recently introduced the "KamerMaker," a building printer that uses locally sourced and recycled materials.

Aside from the significant reductions in labor and transportation costs, Dubai believes there is enormous potential for energy savings in both the construction process and the finished product itself. Dubai opened the world's first 3D-printed office building with sleek, energy-efficient designs a few years ago, and it continues to innovate. It took a little more than two weeks to complete the construction.

Savings on energy and costsWork together as a team
In addition to the energy crisis, Online 3D Printing is having an impact on other major issues such as education and healthcare. Even in the construction industry, reducing the transportation of labor and materials can help to reduce a plethora of emissions.

It is easy to overlook the way 3D printing is revolutionizing the transportation industry. Just this month, 3D-printing "unicorn" Stratasys announced a 3D-printer dedicated to printing parts made of carbon fiber, which will be available later this year. The move was made in response to an increase in demand for carbon fiber parts in a variety of transportation sectors, from freight to Formula 1.

Carbon fiber, as a material, has the potential to be stronger than steel while simultaneously reducing the overall mass of a vehicle. It has been demonstrated that every ten percent reduction in such mass results in a nearly equal percent improvement in fuel economy.

Because of the massive amount of modular equipment available in industrial additive manufacturing, the ability to program the production of a unique part is possible. Not only does it reduce the energy and financial costs of developing specialized manufacturing equipment, but by centralizing the process, it is possible to eliminate thousands of miles of shipping from the equation altogether. Carbon dioxide emissions will decrease at the same rate as costs as more companies adopt this environmentally friendly strategy.

The future of 3D printing parts appears to be promising. Small, lean businesses and industry giants alike are focusing their attention on new rounds of investment, which indicates that innovation will likely accelerate in the coming years. Even industries that do not directly use 3D printing parts will almost certainly incorporate 3D-printed components into their products and tools in the near future.