If you use a hearing aid, you have already become part of the worldwide revolution in 3D printing without knowing it.

Every type of hearing aid now made in the world is produced using this technology.

3D printing uses several layers of material, including plastic, metal or resin, which are joined together to form a complete object.

Stefan Launer, head of the hearing aid maker Sonova, said these hearing aids used to be made by hand, which took a long time and cost more.

"But now it takes only a few days to make and deliver a product after an order is received. That is possible because of 3D printing."

When 3D printing began 20 years ago, it was predicted that it could revolutionise many other fields, and that is what has happened.

That is why 1.4 million 3D printers were sold worldwide in 2018, a figure expected to rise to 8 million by 2027.

Dentistry is one field the technology has transformed. 3D printing works very well both for bridging broken teeth and for the caps fitted over them.

Boeing also uses 3D-printed parts in its spacecraft and in its commercial and military aircraft.

Source: BBC Bangla. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.