Popular 3D Printing Job Opportunities

The 3D printing industry has been witness to unprecedented growth over the years. It has entered the domain of various industries and has proved itself to be an immensely helpful resource. Increasingly, several sectors are augmenting the 3D printing technique into their processes with effective results.

3D printing has ushered in the maker revolution with its simple technique of additive manufacturing taking on the world by storm. In fact, the 3D printing industry is expected to be worth over $21 billion by 2020.

The good news is, various job opportunities have been unlocked by this innovative wave of engineering. The number of career ads demanding additive manufacturing skills have increased exponentially over the years. The primary reason behind this is that the interest in the 3D printing technology is expanding rapidly.

Let’s take a look at some of the job opportunities that have been popularised by 3D printing.

CAD Experts

3D printing, at its core, involves the usage of CAD (Computer Aided Design) software for the creation and design of blueprints that a 3D printer prints out. Basically, it is the raw file that is fed to a 3D printer for printing the desired object. The role of a CAD expert is to create this file.

A CAD expert is required to convert the designs of the products into digital blueprints that are compatible with 3D printers. Apart from this, CAD experts should also have a thorough knowledge of the printer, materials to be used, various geometrical constraints and so on.

Product Designers

3D printing thrives on product designers. The role of product designers is to create feasible designs according to the specifications provided by clients. Enough creativity and the ability to think out-of-the-box is crucial for this job role.

While the knowledge of 3D printing is a must for product designers, they should also have an idea about various fields of design. They are required to analyse the idea given to them for the design purpose, add their creativity to it, identify difficulties in the process and finally, come up with viable designs for printing.

Researchers and Developers

3D printing has ventured into various domains since its inception. With its rising benefits, there has been a growing demand for professionals who would be able to find ways to make the best utilisation of this trend. Research and development professionals will be able to keep track of the trend and find ways to best integrate it into the system.

From wearables to 3D mobile apps, various products have generated from a string of ideas backed by intense research of the market and consequent development. These professionals should have the skills to make the most of 3D printing.

Educators

These skills will only be possible to achieve if there is someone to teach them. Therefore, this increasing requirement will open up various jobs for educating the generation about 3D printing. With the subject of 3D printing being added to revised school curriculum, many institutions are on the lookout for skilled instructors to impart these lessons.

Such educators are required to have a background in 3D printing and modelling techniques. Several K-12 schools are looking to hire a skilled professional to teach children of the intricacies of 3D printing. In fact, many colleges are launching advanced courses too.

Sales Representatives

While sales staff are required to perform back office jobs with extreme skills and dexterity, they are also required to have a thorough knowledge of 3D printing. This is because, they would require this knowledge to make a sale, offer instant quotation to customers for their personalisations and prototyping requirements etc.

Additionally, they may also be required to troubleshoot problems for customers at times.

Entrepreneurship

Nothing can be a better opportunity than starting your own business if you have enough creative ideas to propel you towards success. With the commercialisation and increased accessibility of 3D printing, fresh business opportunities are opening up for companies that offer 3D printing services.

All you would need for this is a good business idea, a properly functioning 3D printer and a well-maintained website. The outcome can be quite rewarding.

Apart from these, there are a large number of career opportunities in 3D printing in various industries across the globe. With so much to offer, this exciting new field of 3D printing is all set to transform lives.