If there was any question that 3D printing has officially arrived, it was answered in President Obama’s State of the Union Address which specifically called out the potential of the technology to restore manufacturing in America.
From the President’s prepared remarks:
Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There’s no reason this can’t happen in other towns. So tonight, I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America. [emphasis added]
Skip to 24:25 to watch:
*Update*
In case there was any doubt about what a big deal the mention is, CNN is running a primer on 3D printing for those wondering what Obama was even talking about. And 3D printing stock prices shot up after the mention!
CNET also has an interesting piece on the Youngstown institute the President mentioned. Apparently the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute was founded in 2012 with $30m from the Department of Defense.