Performance evaluation of 3D printing technologies: a review, recent advances, current challenges, and future directions

Traditional manufacturing methods have become obsolete nowadays with the evolution of 3D printing. 3D printing has provided a totally new paradigm to modern-day manufacturing, and has had huge economic, environmental, scientific, and political implications. The paper describes the copious methodologies and applied 3D printing in several fields such as medicine, fashion industry, automobiles, textiles, pharmaceuticals, food industry, etc. It describes the challenges it has experienced in recent years and the prospects of its advancement shortly. The paper also explores various challenges faced, future directions, and manufacturing technologies paved by this invention such as the 4D printing.