Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing – I’ll use the terms interchangeably – is an exponential technology that delivers the individual detailing of subtractive manufacturing, without the waste. Typically, objects are crafted through computer-aided design. The process involves creating a new object from scratch: by putting together layers upon layers of melted material, using a laser or a device a little like an inkjet printer. The material can range from glass to plastic to chocolate. It marks a fundamental break with many millennia of subtractive manufacturing, and thousands of years of
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