Despite the promise of 3-D printing, it has yet to replace injection molding systems, which have historically been substantially less expensive and faster than 3-D printing for most applications.

But that could soon change, however.

The capabilities of 3-D printing systems are growing at an exponential rate, leading the company 3D Systems to proclaim that Moore's law could be used to describe its growth trajectory. Originally used to describe the doubling of transistors on integrated circuits every two years, Moore's law has been a reliable predictor of progress in the field of electronics since the mid-1960s. According the company 3D Systems, Moore's law could be modified to apply to the speeds of 3-D printing systems, which have doubled on average every 24 months over the past decade by its reckoning.

Earlier this year, the company released a video titled "Breaking the Speed Barrier," which asks: Will 3-D printing ever be faster than injection molding? Hint: They think the answer is "yes." The capabilities of injection molding systems may be steadily increasing, but its growth curve looks downright sluggish when compared to that of 3-D printing's. And it goes without saying that creating 3-D printed parts is a much more nimble affair than injection molding, where design iterations can introduce painful week- or month-long delays.

It's telling, too, that 3-D printing systems are featured ever more prominently at industry trade shows--including those traditionally dedicated to injection molding.  

For instance, 3-D printing systems will have a significant presence at this year's EuroMold 2014 Expo held in Frankfurt, Germany, at the end of this month. Quant 3D, a division of OK International (Garden Grove, CA) will debut a new industrial 3-D printer targeted at large commercial applications.

According to the EuroMold website, there are a total of 59 firms showing of 3-D printing technology at the show.

But it may be early yet to conclude that 3-D printing companies are about to eat injection molders' lunch. In fact, the two technologies can be used side by side.

3-D molding giant Stratasys and the design firm Worrell Design (Minneapolis, MN) have recently teamed up to announce 3D IM--short for 3-D injection molding. The technique can be used to create 3-D printed molds at a fraction of the time and cost of the traditional mold-making process.

Despite 3-D printing's many clinical benefits, the medtech industry has struggled to capitalize on the vast potentials of the technology due to the higher costs, and the relatively slow production speeds, in comparison to injection molding systems. However, in the last three years, the production speeds of 3-D printing have been growing exponentially as the technology continues to improve and produce at faster rates.

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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