3D printing creates real, solid objects one layer at a time using digital data. 3D printing may therefore soon do for manufacturing and medicine what computers and the Internet have already done for the creation, processing and storage of information. For an explanation of 3D printing technologies, opportunities and implications, please see the 3D Printing page, my 3D Printing videos, or my book 3D Printing: The Next Industrial Revolution.
The 3D printing marketplace is now evolving extremely quickly. This directory brings together links to many of those organizations currently developing and producing 3D printers, as well as some of those pioneering their application. If you know of a site that should be included, please let me know.
3D Systems 3D Systems is the largest 3D printer manufacturer, and makes hardware for both high-end industrial clients and end consumers. The company's various 3D printer models are based on a wide range of technologies, including laser sintering, binder jetting, material jetting and thermoplastic extrusion. 3D Systems has grown rapidly by acquiring other 3D printer manufacturers, including Z Corporation and Bits From Bytes.
Archam
Archam produces 3D printers based on its electron beam melting (EMB) technology. This allows fully-dense metal parts to be produced for medical implant, aerospace and defence applications.
Asiga
Asiga produces high-resolution, sub-$7,000 desktop stereolithographic 3D printers. Their hardware has a 'pico' build intended to accommodate the production of dental pieces, jewelry and similar small items.
Blueprinter
Blueprinter produces a desktop 3D printer that uses its own selective heat sintering (SHS) technology to build objects out of a thermoplastic powder.
Concept Laser
Concept Laser produce 3D printers based on their unique laserCUSING technology. This very accurately creates object layers out metal powders for aerospace, automotive, medical, dental and other industrial applications.
EnvisionTEC
EnvisionTEC produce a range of photopolymerization 3D printers that are used for a wide range of dental, medical, mould making, prototyping and other applications. The company also sells its 3D-Bioplotter for tissue engineering (bioprinting).
EOS
EOS manufactures a range of industrial selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printers, with different models available that are dedicated to making things in metals, plastics or sand (for 3D sand casting.
ExOne
ExOne sells industrial 3D printers that use binder jetting to build objects in sand (to enable 3D sand casting), as well as stainless steel, bronze and glass.
Mcor Technologies
Mcor Technologies makes 3D printers that use laminated object manufacture (LOM) and inkjet technology to produce full-colour 3D objects using standard copier paper.
Nanoscribe
Nanoscribe produce a nanolithograhic 3D printer that uses two photon polymerization (2PP) to create 3D objects on a nanoscale.
Optomec
Optomec produces 3D printers based on its 'laser engineered net shaping' (LENS) technology that deposits a metal powder that is melted with a laser to produce fully-dense, end-use metal parts. The company also sells 'Aerosol Jet' hardware that can print working electronics onto 3D surfaces.
Organovo
Organovo are a bioprinting pioneer who produce a 3D bioprinter called the Novogen MMX.
SLM Solutions GmbH
SLM Solutions produce a range of 3D printers that build objects from powders using selective laser melting (SLM).
Solido3D
Solido3D makes 3D printers that use laminated object manufacture (LOM) to produce 3D objects from sheets of plastic.
Voxeljet
Voxeljet produces a range of 3D printers that use binder jetting to produce either plastic objects or 3D sand castings from powders. The company's largest model -- the VX4000 -- has an incredible build volume of 4 x 2 x 1 metres.
BitsFromBytes.com
Bits from Bytes is part of 3D Systems, and sells a range of low-cost 3D printers and 3D printer kits including the 3D Touch and RapMan 3.2.
Cubifyis part of 3D Systems, and sells several thermoplastic extrusion, consumer-grade 3D printers. These range from the single-material Cube, to the larger, multimaterial Cube X Duo and Cube X Trio.
CB-Printer.com
CB-Printer is the first domestic 3D printer to be produced in Poland. Its '3D Printer CB-printer' is available either fully assembled or as a kit.
Delta Micro Factory Corporation
The Delta Micro Factory Corporation is a Chinese 3D printer manufacturer. Under their PP3DP brand, the company sells the UP! range of low-cost, desktop 3D printers which use thermoplastic extrusion to build plastic objects. The same printers are also imported into the United States and resold by a company called Afinia.
FormLabs
Formlabs produces a low-cost desktop stereolithographic printer called the Form 1.
Makerbot Industries
Makerbot produces a range of low-cost, desktop 3D printers that use thermoplastic extrusion to create plastic objects. The company claims around a 20 per cent share of all 3D printers sold.
MakeGEAR.com
MakerGear develop products and services for the maker community, and sells its own M Series thermoplastic extrusion 3D printers in both kit and fully-assembled formats, as well as some RepRap open source models.
Portabee
The Portabee is a small, low-cost and foldable thermoplastic extrusion 3D printer available either fully assembled or as a kit.
PrintrBot
PrinterBot produces very low cost 3D printers in both kit-form and fully assembled. The company's printers are based on thermoplastic extrusion, and have iconic laser-cut-plywood body panels.
RepRapPro
RepRapPro sell a wide range of kits for building open source RepRap 3D printers based on thermoplastic extrusion technology.
ReprapUniverse.com
ReprapUniverse.com sells kits for MendleMax and Prussa open source RepRap 3D printers.
Solidoodle
Solidoodle is a fully-assembled, low-cost 3D printer available in 'base', 'pro' and 'expert' versions.
Ultimaker
The Ultimaker is a lightweight, robust and very well respected thermoplastic extrusion 3D printer that in group tests frequently beats all rivals on the basis of its speed and quality of output
3D Printer High Resolution DIY
This project is a cool initiative to develop a low-cost kit for a stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printer.
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is an high-end, industry leading CAD package from Autodesk.
Autodesk 123D
Autodesk 123D is a range of free 3D printing design applications.
Cubify Invent
Cubify Invent is an entry-level modelling package from 3D Systems that is written from the ground up for those wishing to create objects for 3D printout.
Solidworks
SolidWorks is a highly popular, professional CAD package from Dassault Systèmes.
SketchUp
SketchUp (formerly Google Sketchup) is a popular 3D modelling application from Trimble Navigation. The software comes in two versions -- a personal edition which is free to download, and a paid professional edition.
TurboCAD
TurboCAD is a popular, low-cost design package that can be used to create objects for 3D printout.
Bioprinting is the particular branch of 3D printing dedicated to the creation of living, organic materials one layer at a time. The following are all at the forefront of this cutting-edge area of medical research:
