the first 3d printer was released to the public in 1992.
the first 3d printer was released to the public in 1992.
when was the first 3d printer released to the public?
1992
the focus on software to drive the first 3d printer in 1990 provided a solid foundation for materialise’s concurrent solution-focused research into developing specific software for the production of anatomical models from ct image data. this resulted in one of the earliest research projects in medical 3d printing, financed by the eu and coordinated by materialise.









































the commercial realisation of this research in 1992 is the company’s mimics (materialise interactive medical image control system) software.
materialise nv
the zero-g printer, the first 3d printer designed to operate in zero gravity, was built under a joint partnership between nasa marshall space flight center (msfc) and made in space, inc. in september 2014, spacex delivered the zero-gravity 3d printer to the international space station (iss). on december 19, 2014, nasa emailed cad drawings for a socket wrench to astronauts aboard the iss, who then printed the tool using its 3d printer. applications for space offer the ability to print parts or tools on-site, as opposed to using rockets to bring along pre-manufactured items for space missions to human colonies on the moon, mars, or elsewhere. the second 3d printer in space, the european space agency's portable on-board 3d printer (pop3d) was planned to be delivered to the international space station before june 2015. in 2016, digital trends reported that beehex was building a 3d food printer for manned missions to mars.
applications of 3d printing