Here are 10 ways 3-D printing could revolutionize industries and the world as we know it.

Back in the early 1980s, when engineer Chuck Hall first imagined the concept of 3-D printing, it likely seemed like something from a wild science fiction tale [source: Ponsford and Glass]. However, 3-D printing — the process of sending a 3-D design to a machine that layers materials on top of one another — has since become a reality, and it's poised to transform the world as profoundly as the steam engine, electricity, and computers once did [sources: Anthony, Hoffman].

3-D printing won't just reduce the time it takes to design and manufacture products; it will also enable the creation of complex, innovative shapes and structures previously impossible to achieve. This may usher in a new industrial revolution where we won’t rely on traditional factories and assembly lines. Instead, designers can send product blueprints — from airplane parts to clothing and toys — directly to consumers' printers [source: Cohen].

Major companies like Ford and GE have already adopted 3-D printing technology. For instance, Ford is printing the engine cover for its 2015 Mustang, while GE is utilizing it to print fuel nozzles for aircraft engines [source: Heller].

This is just the beginning of what 3-D printers can produce. From life-saving drugs and prosthetic limbs to edible creations, let's explore 10 ways 3-D printing technology is set to revolutionize the world in the coming years.

10: Custom-Made Fashion

In 2013, Victoria's Secret model Lindsay Ellingson amazed both fashion lovers and tech enthusiasts as she strutted in a glittering snowflake-themed outfit, complete with wings, a corset, and a headpiece created using 3-D printing technology and nylon [source: Heller].

This bold statement only hinted at the potential of 3-D printing to reshape the fashion industry. In the near future, according to Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, fashion designers may use 3-D body scans to create personalized garments and accessories that not only fit perfectly but also adapt to the unique movements of each individual [source: Dezeen.com].

"With 3-D printing, you can specify the level of flexibility you want in millimeters or centimeters for specific parts, like the knees or shoulders, and simply include that in the design file," van Herpen explained during a 2013 interview.

9: Affordable Prosthetics

In 2012, Daniel Omar, a 14-year-old boy from Sudan, lost his hands when a bomb dropped during an attack on rebels. Though an American surgeon saved his life, Omar was left without hands until Mick Ebeling, the CEO of Not Impossible Labs, read about his situation in a magazine article.

Ebeling set up a lab at a Sudanese hospital, outfitted with 3-D printers capable of producing prosthetic limbs for only $100 each, a fraction of the cost of traditional prosthetics. Meanwhile, researchers from Autodesk and the University of Toronto are developing software that will allow them to scan amputees' bodies and create customized, perfectly fitting limbs through 3-D printing [sources: McCracken, Turner] [source: Woollaston].

8: Spare Parts for Almost Everything

We've all been there — feeling frustrated when we have to toss out an old, reliable appliance simply because we can't find a replacement part for it.

That might soon be a thing of the past, as 3-D printing could allow us to download plans for replacement parts and print them right at home. Sites like Thingiverse already provide designs for around 2,500 replacement parts, ranging from manual car window cranks and dishwasher rollers to wristwatch components and pinball machine flippers. It’s not hard to imagine a future where our old gadgets last as long as those vintage 1950s cars in Havana, thanks to skilled mechanics and 3-D printing.

7: Personalized Pharmaceuticals

With some adjustments, a 3-D printer can be reprogrammed to spray pharmaceutical ingredients rather than plastic or metal layers, leading to chemical reactions that could enable custom-printing medicines. In 2012, researchers at the University of Glasgow used a 3-D printer to create various compounds, including those for cancer treatments [source: BBC].

"In the future, you could buy basic chemicals, load them into a 3-D printer, press a button to mix the ingredients, filter them through the printer’s architecture, and produce your prescription drug at the end," explained researcher Mark Symes at the time.

Although DIY pharmaceuticals could potentially reduce healthcare costs, this technology may pose risks, as individuals might skip medical oversight. Worse still, law enforcement might face challenges in stopping drug abusers from downloading and printing their substances of choice — a scenario discussed in a recent Vice article titled, "In the Future, Your Drug Dealer Will Be a Printer" [source: Holmes].

6: Gourmet Candies

At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a company named 3D Systems revealed two custom-built 3-D printers designed to create candy using ingredients like chocolate, sugar infused with flavors such as vanilla, mint, sour apple, cherry, and watermelon. The process involved layering flavored sugar and spraying water on it through a print head, which solidified into crystalline structures. These edible creations were not only delicious but also took on fascinating geometric shapes, with some even featuring moving components [source: Kelion].

But candy isn't the only food being explored with 3-D printing. A company called Natural Machines introduced a 3-D printing device called Foodini, capable of printing ravioli pasta. Meanwhile, Dovetailed developed a technique to reshape fruit puree into custom-molded simulated fruits [source: Milkert].

5: Your Own Home

In the future, it's entirely possible that you'll be able to design or download blueprints for your ideal home and simply send them to a construction company that will 3-D print it on your property. One construction firm in China is already using a massive 3-D printer to spray layers of cement and recycled building materials to construct walls and structures. While the homes might not be extravagant, they cost less than $5,000, and the company boasts that it can produce up to 10 homes in a single day [source: Guardian].

A company in Slovenia is reportedly set to release three different types of 3-D house printers in 2014. Prices for these printers are expected to start at 12,000 euros ($16,300) [source: Krassenstein].

4: Transplant Organs

For years, scientists have been working to grow human organs in labs for transplant purposes. While they’ve made strides in growing tissue, replicating the cell structures and vascular systems needed for complex organs like kidneys and livers has proven extremely challenging—until now, that is.

Medical scientists are advancing in the field of bioprinting, a process where they gather human cells from biopsies or stem cells, multiply them in a petri dish, and transform them into a type of biological ink that can be sprayed by 3-D printers. The printer is programmed to arrange the different types of cells and materials into a specific 3-D structure.

Scientists are optimistic that bioprinting will one day allow them to precisely organize cells to replicate human organ functions, making these organs useful for testing new drugs or even as transplants. If created from a patient's own cells or stem cells, these organs would have a significantly lower chance of being rejected by the body’s immune system [source: Griggs].

3: Cool Cars

Although 3-D-printed car parts have existed for some time, inventor Jim Kor and his team have gone a step further, producing an entire car. In 2013, Wired reported that the three-wheel, two-passenger Urbee 2, primarily made from plastic, was built at a 3-D facility. The car isn’t road-ready yet, as it still requires a hybrid engine (made of metal) and must undergo safety testing.

The creation of the vehicle required around 2,500 hours, meaning it won't be hitting your local dealership anytime soon. However, it could signal a future where automakers can make fine adjustments to designs and use 3-D printing to produce fuel-efficient cars that are as strong and durable as steel, yet far lighter and optimized for aerodynamics.

In 2015, provided they secure the necessary funding, two of the inventors of the Urbee 2 plan to drive the car from New York to San Francisco in just two days using only 10 gallons (38 liters) of gasoline [source: Korelogic].

2: Replicas of Famous Artworks

Cosmo Wenman, an artist based in Southern California, has employed 3-D printing technology to create detailed replicas of famous sculptures. These reproductions are based on hundreds of photographs taken from all angles. One such piece is the 'Head of a Horse of Selene,' an ancient Greek sculpture that once resided in the Parthenon and is now housed in the British Museum. Wenman printed multiple plastic pieces, assembled them, and painted them to resemble the marble original. His focus has been on ancient artworks to avoid copyright restrictions.

In the future, 3-D printed versions of art could allow institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, which currently displays only a small fraction—about 2%—of its 14 million-item collection, to digitize their artworks and share them with global audiences who might never have had the chance to view them in person [source: Carone].

1: Guns

In 2013, a Texas-based activist with anarchist views gained attention by designing a 3-D-printed handgun called the Liberator and firing it successfully at a private shooting range. The creator included a metal component to ensure compliance with federal laws banning plastic guns that might bypass airport security. Despite this, the Liberator seemed to serve as a statement on the futility of government-imposed gun control in a world where blueprints for homemade weapons could easily be shared online [source: Silverman].

Just a year later, authorities in Japan—where gun laws are highly restrictive—arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly possessing five plastic handguns he had printed using plans downloaded from the Internet [source: Kravets]. Wired reported in 2014 that DIY gun makers had learned to produce "powerful, military-grade firearms" through 3-D printing, with experts predicting it would only be a matter of time before fully-printed guns were as durable and lethal as those manufactured in traditional factories.