Timeline A history of 3D printing

TIMELINE

A HISTORY OF 3D PRINTING

The 2D printing press was discovered in more than one culture throughout different points in history – Chinese craftsmen in the 9th century, however, carved words onto inked wooden blocks as the first iteration. In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg created the first typeface printing press, taking over from monks who used to hand-transcribe manuscripts. The recent advent of 3D printing has revolutionised the manufacturing industry, so here’s a short history.

1981 1981 1981

3D printing first documented in Japan

1980s Japan saw a transformation in the economy, with computers becoming mainstream and a place for Hideo Kodama’s rapid prototyping system, which used UV light to polymerise a photosensitive resin. Though Kodama was unable to create a patent for 3D printing, he is generally regarded as the de facto inventor.

1986 1986 1986

First 3D printing patent

For American builder Charles Hull, necessity really was the mother of invention. He needed tiny custom parts made quickly for the furniture he manufactured, so he built a 3D printer that printed photosensitive resin layer by layer. Hull filed the first patent for Stereolithography, also known as the ‘SLA’, in 1986.

2005 2005 2005 2008 2008 2008 2022 2022 2022

The worldwide RepRap Project

The first ‘self-replicating manufacturing machine’ was created by Dr Adrian Bowyer, in what was known as the worldwide RepRap Project. Bowyer was later awarded an MBE in the New Years Honours for his dedication to 3D printing.

First prosthetic limb printed

It’s rare in history for a single limb to make history. But, in 2008, the world heard about the first prosthetic leg to be 3D printed, offering amputees a new opportunity in life. The following year, the patents moved into the public domain and manufacturers got to work.

Ukrainian school to be 3D printed

As shown by the 2008 prosthetic limb, 3D printing can have an altruistic angle. Now, this technology is moving into battle – almost literally. More than 2,000 schools have been damaged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now, non-profit technology start-up TEAM4UA is working with authorities in Lviv to 3D-print a school in the city.