2009
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing process patents expired in
2009. As the various additive processes matured, it became clear that
soon metal removal would no longer be the only metalworking process done
through a tool or head moving through a 3D work envelope transforming a
mass of raw material into a desired shape layer by layer. The 2010s were
the first decade in which metal end use parts such as engine brackets
and large nuts would be grown (either before or instead of machining) in
job production rather than obligately being machined from bar stock or
plate. It is still the case that casting, fabrication, stamping, and
machining are more prevalent than additive manufacturing in
metalworking, but AM is now beginning to make significant inroads, and
with the advantages of design for additive manufacturing, it is clear to
engineers that much more is to come.
As technology matured, several authors had begun to speculate that 3D
printing could aid in sustainable development in the developing world.