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Additive manufacturing has clearly won in aerospace, medical and industrial spare parts, and it is not a candidate for mass production of standard consumer goods. Deposition speed in metals and surface finish remain the binding physical limits. Desktop machines have improved a lot, but outside hobby use they still do not replace buying the finished part.
Printing steel, titanium, or aluminum parts is no longer a lab experiment. Metal additive manufacturing has spent a decade maturing, with stable aerospace certifications and service providers across Europe. The question is no longer whether it works, but for which parts it pays off against machining, casting, or forging.
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, has moved beyond the lab to become a real production technology: it builds medical prostheses, aircraft parts and entire houses layer by layer from a digital file. This guide explains FDM, SLA and SLS technologies, which industries already use them, and today's limits on speed and material certification.
