3D printing technology: applications, benefits and areas of opportunity in Nigeria

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, often referred to as additive manufacturing differs from traditional manufacturing processes in that 3D objects are built by successively creating layers of material on top of each other. Since development in 1980s, 3D printing has undergone technological transformation that could fundamentally alter production processes in a wide set of applicable areas.

Despite the accelerated advancement, both in academic research and industrial application that 3D printing technology has witnessed in diverse areas of human endeavor especially in
advanced countries; the technology is relatively at its infant stage in developing countries like Nigeria. Thus, this work attempts to address the underrepresentation of research that is specifically concerned with the impacts that 3D printing can make in diverse sectors in developing countries like Nigeria. It addresses this issue by focusing its investigations on the applications of the technology, derivable benefits from the application of the technology as well as diverse areas where 3D printing can present a great deal of opportunities for Nigeria.