3D printing has far reaching potential and is already starting to disrupt the biggest and most important industries and Markets in the world.

While the technology has actually been around for quite a few years, the advancements made in 3D printing in the past five years have helped it become tremendously important on a global level.

At the conclusion of this century, 3D printing may well be considered as one of the most—if not the most—important technologies of the day.

And, the best part is… 3D printing is just getting warmed up.

The answer to that question is broad, exciting, amazing, inspiring, and, at-times, heart-warming. 3D printing is starting to solve a host of world-wide problems that were, before, not possible.

With all of these big numbers being rolled out, the real question is, how is 3D printing getting so big ? And, by that, I mean, what are the REAL-WORLD uses that are driving this new technology?

According to Gartner, Inc.’s most recent forecast, the worldwide shipments of 3D printers in 2016 will approach a half a million units—almost double the predicted amount of 3D printers shipped for 2015.

In fact, some forecasts predict that the global market for 3D printing will reach $15.2 billion by 2025.

New applications for 3D printing are being discovered on a daily basis and new headlines on the impact the disruptive technology is having are being released so rapidly, that it’s tough to keep up.

Whether it’s in the manufacturing industry, the field of health care and medicine, in science, research, and education, or in fashion, entertainment, and culinary arts, 3D printing has begun to change the way we create things.

175 3D Printing Examples

The Best 3D Printing Stories from Around the Web

To present a clear picture of the kind of impact 3D printing is having around the world, we’ve compiled a list of 175 different news stories and articles that display what the new break-through technology is capable of.

Along with changing the way a lot of products and items are manufactured, 3D printing is also saving the lives of people and animals, helping us increase our sustainability, aiding in humanitarian efforts, allowing us to improve items through better prototyping, and taking the fashion industry to new heights.