A Brief History of 3D Printing

The journey of 3D printing—or additive manufacturing—is a fascinating story of imagination, engineering, and the open-source community.

Here is a look at the history of 3D printing and how it evolved into the high-tech manufacturing hub we use today.

The 1940s to 1970s: Science Fiction Becomes Science Fact

Long before there were high-speed CoreXY machines sitting in garages, the general concept of 3D printing started as pure science fiction. The idea was first described by author Murray Leinster in his 1945 short story "Things Pass By," where a robotic arm fed with plastics created objects by drawing in the air. A few years later, in 1950, Raymond F. Jones described a similar concept as a "molecular spray" in Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

The transition from fiction to reality began in 1971 when Johannes F. Gottwald patented the Liquid Metal Recorder, an inkjet metal device that is considered the first patent describing 3D printing for rapid prototyping and on-demand manufacturing.

The 1980s: The Birth of Additive Manufacturing

Early additive manufacturing equipment truly began to take shape in the 1980s. In 1980, Japanese researcher Hideo Kodama invented methods for fabricating 3D plastic models using a photo-hardening thermoset polymer. However, the technology really gained commercial traction a few years later.

In 1984, Charles "Chuck" Hull filed a patent for a stereolithography (SLA) fabrication system, which generated 3D objects by curing photopolymers layer-by-layer using ultraviolet light lasers. Hull also created the STL file format, which is still the standard format we use today to prepare your CAD models for printing. He formed 3D Systems Corporation and released the first commercial 3D printer, the SLA-1, in 1987 or 1988.

Shortly after, in 1988, S. Scott Crump developed Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)—the plastic extrusion process that powers our fleet today. Crump commercialized this technology through his company, Stratasys, in 1992. Back in the 1980s, owning one of these early 3D printers was not for the faint of heart, costing upwards of $300,000!

The 1990s to 2000s: The Open-Source "Maker" Revolution

In the early 2000s, 3D printers were still incredibly expensive and largely restricted to major manufacturing and research industries. But the "maker's soul" took over in the mid-2000s, sparking a grassroots revolution.

In 2004 and 2005, the RepRap (Replicating Rapid-prototyper) project was started by Adrian Bowyer, allowing users to design and distribute open-source plans for 3D printers that could physically print up to 70% of their own parts. When the original FDM patents finally expired in 2009, it opened the floodgates. A new wave of startup companies utilized these open-source initiatives to develop commercial FDM 3D printers that were far more accessible to the general public. This is the era that brought 3D printing out of corporate labs and into the workshops of creators.

The 2010s to 2020s: Industrial Precision Meets the Desktop

As the technology matured, the capabilities of additive manufacturing skyrocketed. By the 2010s, the aviation industry was utilizing 3D printing to create highly complex, metal end-use parts, such as integrated fuel nozzles for GE engines that reduced weight and assembly time.

By 2020, entry-level FDM printers had dropped in price to under $200, making the technology accessible to an estimated 2 million hobbyists worldwide. Meanwhile, the high end of the industry continued pushing boundaries. In 2021 the world's first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge was unveiled in Amsterdam, spanning 12 meters and printed by robotic arms, and the world's first fully 3D-printed prosthetic eye was delivered to a patient in London. In 2024, the University of Maine revealed the world's largest 3D printer, capable of printing objects up to 96 feet long.

Today at Monkeys' Uncle 3D

Today, 3D printing is about far more than just melting plastic. Modern printers utilize comprehensive AI assistants, advanced multi-material handling systems, and incredibly strong composite materials like Carbon Fiber and Polycarbonate.

The Future Frontier: 4D Printing and Smart Materials.

At Monkeys' Uncle 3D, our obsession with the "how" of manufacturing means we are always looking ahead to the next technological leap. While our current high-speed enclosed fleets master the three physical dimensions, the additive manufacturing industry is actively unlocking a fourth dimension: time.

By utilizing standard 3D printing techniques in combination with advanced multi-material structures, engineers have allowed for the design and creation of what is known as 4D printing.

Here is a look at how this revolutionary technology works, what it means for the future of manufacturing, and the hurdles it must overcome before we can bring it into our shop.

What is 4D Printing?

Unlike traditional 3D printing which produces a static, rigid object, 4D printing is an additive manufacturing process in which the printed object changes shape with time, temperature, or some other type of stimulation.

This cutting-edge process allows for the creation of highly dynamic structures featuring adjustable shapes, properties, or functionality. By utilizing customized shape-changing and shape-memory materials, manufacturers can print objects that are programmed to execute specific, calculated responses after the printing process is entirely finished.

When these smart and stimulus-responsive materials are activated by an external trigger, they can perform incredible functions such as self-assembly, self-repair, multi-functionality, reconfiguration, and shape-shifting.

Future Industrial Applications

The versatility of 4D printing technology and its associated materials is expected to lead to massive advances across multiple fields of industry, specifically including the space, commercial, and medical fields.

• New Material Viability: 4D printing has the potential to find entirely new applications and uses for standard plastics, composites, and metals. More importantly, it possesses the potential to create new alloys and composites that were simply not viable before.

• Aerospace & Exploration: In the space sector, parts could be printed in a compact, flat state for transport, and then programmed to self-assemble or reconfigure their shape when exposed to the extreme temperatures or solar radiation of space.

• Medical & Bioprinting: In the medical field, stimulus-responsive materials could lead to implants or targeted drug-delivery devices that only change shape or dissolve when they interact with a specific body temperature or chemical trigger.

The Roadblocks to Mainstream Production

While the concept is incredibly exciting, 4D printing is not quite ready for standard commercial service. To become a viable industrial production option, the technology must dramatically increase its repeatability, precision, and available material range.

Before 4D printing can guarantee our signature "bananas detail," it must overcome a few major technical challenges:

• Microstructural Integrity: The microstructures of these printed smart materials are currently still in development. Before they can be widely adopted, these microstructures must be refined so that they are close to or better than the parts obtained through traditional machining processes.

• Material Reliability & Consistency: The industry needs to develop new, highly customizable materials that possess the ability to consistently respond to varying external stimuli and change to their desired shape without degrading or failing over time.

• Advanced Software Design: Traditional slicing software is built strictly for three dimensions. Moving forward, there is a need to design new software for the various technique types of 4D printing. This future 4D printing software will need to actively take into consideration the base smart material being used, the specific printing technique, and the complex structural and geometric requirements of the changing design.

By pushing the boundaries of what printed materials can do, 4D printing represents the absolute frontier of our industry—proving once again that in the world of additive manufacturing, we are only just getting started.

Technology has come a long way since the 1980s. By leveraging this rich history of open-source innovation and industrial-grade engineering, Monkeys' Uncle 3D is proud to be part of the next chapter of additive manufacturing, bringing your absolute best ideas into the real world.