According to Makerbot, the most well known in a crop of companies developing low cost 3D printers, the technology is being used by NASA engineers to develop parts for models, including for the Mars Rover, Curiosity
forbes
Manufacturing the future: 10 trends to come in 3D Printing
Once considered science fiction, the ability to do 3D printing – to produce objects on demand at relatively low cost – has become a reality and the trend is going to pick up steam in 2013
Airbus expects to see planes roll out of hangar-sized 3D printers by 2050
3D printing may still be in its infancy, but at least one Airbus designer sees things progressing quite a bit over the next 40 years or so.
3D printing is riding the Moore’s Law curve
According to an article in Forbes