When I think of 3D printing, what comes to mind are fun toys, practical organization tools, and creative artwork. As a person that lives with a 3D printer hobbyist and has three printers in my home, I thought I had a good idea about what 3D printing was all about. Ray Burke’s informative book, The Future of 3D Printing, opened my eyes to just how big and impactful this industry is. It is not just for the geeky people making prop swords and designing desk accessories or just for mass production at the manufacturing levels.

This interesting book reads like a conversation with the author. The language is easy for non-technical readers to understand and fits with the author’s goal of bringing 3D printing to the masses. Ray Burke is honest and upfront that he is not an expert in the field of 3D printing; however, he has a vision of where this movement can go and strong, actionable ideas of how to get there. Burke’s vision is to have 3D printers in every home just like a microwave or cell phone. He sees a comprehensive use case from simple everyday objects like printing a cup to even producing food. Now before readers scoff at this, there is, in fact, a 3D chocolate printer in the making that was recently demoed at 3D printing expos, so the idea of a food printer is not so outlandish.

One of Burke’s big ideas to get 3D printers into the home is for companies to start designing furniture for them. Again this is something I have personal experience with; finding the proper setup that works for this equipment and looks good is nearly impossible. In this book, he outlines his steps to get prototypes and get companies on board with this trend. He is transparent with all his communications, including the “thank you, but we are not interested” responses he received.

The Future of 3D Printing is a fascinating look at Ray Burke’s journey to help get 3D printing into the mainstream and make it accessible to everyone, regardless of their technological skills. He brings up important topics such as recycling plastics, heat, and CO2 production, and what can be done to turn 3D printing Green. This educational book serves as a great discussion opener for those looking to change how the world uses 3D printing and provides readers with a look at what the future can bring.

Pages: 133