Will 3D Printing Be A Part Of The Future?

Although 3D printing companies have fallen out of favor with investors, most agree that the technology will likely pick up speed, especially for industrial businesses.

However, the excitement that surrounded consumer 3D printers has started to falter as limited materials and sky high price tags have kept most from holding off on using the new technology.

Still, a report from Juniper Research says not to give up on printing your own Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) orders just yet.

Mainstream 3D Printing

Alongside virtual reality and wearable devices, analysts at Juniper see desktop 3D printing becoming one of the largest tech trends by 2020. In the coming years, the printers are expected to develop beyond using just colored plastics and evolve to print everything from toys to food.

Printers Could Be The New Microwaves

Juniper isn't the only firm banking on a 3D printing explosion, Lynette Kucsma, the owner of Natural Machines, says food printers could become as common as the microwave.

Natural Machines manufactures the Foodini, a 3D printer that uses several ingredients to create complicated dishes from scratch. The current model isn't capable of cooking the food, but Kucsma says that technology will come.

NASA Exploring 3D Food Printers

Kucsma isn't the first person to consider the benefits of printing food. NASA embarked on a study to evaluate how printed food would fare in space travel.

Feeding the crew of a space shuttle has become more and more difficult as the length of missions increases. Scientists testing the technology for NASA say 3D printing could give food a longer shelf-life and also give crew more dining options.