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ARTICLE · 01 AUGUST 2014

3D Printing & The Retail Industry

Wedlake Bell LLP
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3D printing is a way of creating solid three dimensional objects by printing, using a laser sintering procedure, micro thin layers of material on top of each other.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Clive Thorne
Clive Thorne

Ramifications for Intellectual Property...

3D printing is a way of creating solid three dimensional objects by printing, using a laser sintering procedure, micro thin layers of material on top of each other.  The technology was invented in the 1980s and is now widely used throughout the creative industries to reproduce and create products and spare parts.

For example, 3D printing is now used widely in certain industries including architecture, jewellery design, fashion goods such as shoes, toys, automotive, aerospace, healthcare, dentistry and electronics.

Until about 2005, a 3D printer would cost around £10,000.  Nowadays, they are available for retail sale between £1,000 to £2,000.  It is estimated that the economic impact of 3D printing could be up to $550 billion by 2025.

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