Technology has finally made it possible to 3D print everything from toys and artwork to spare parts and even prosthetics in the healthcare field. 3D printed materials have now made their way to the interior tenant construction industry. 
A bad day is when a construction site manager is in the last few weeks of a project and discovers the light fixtures are still in production and haven’t even shipped. 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing (AD), technology has made it possible to print a light fixture on demand.
Interior tenant construction benefits from 3D printing technology
The printed light fixture doesn’t include the electrical components, but includes the shade, shell or exterior finish portion of the fixture. The possibilities are endless. The cost and time frame to receive a light fixture can be cut by as much as 90 percent.
Additive processes are used in 3D printing, in which sequential layers or droplets of a specific material are installed in accordance with a 3D computer file. The types of shapes or geometries are endless with only the limit of imagination. Light up a room with an artistic 3D printed lamp.
Numerous lightweight materials are available such as polyamide. Numerous colors are also available for your specific interior design.
Some consider 3D printing as the third industrial revolution. I can see why; it is an on-demand, inexpensive solution to construction materials for interior tenant construction. Most metropolitan areas possess large-scale 3D printers and most small and medium size cities have less expensive printers, that can be used to print these materials and parts. Because we can now 3D print using materials such a nylon, ABS, resin, stainless steel, gold, silver, titanium, ceramic and gypsum; this new technology will affect all facets of the construction industry.
______________________________________________________________
Scott Hamele, DBIA, is president and founder of Construction DesignWorks LLC and Nationwide Commercial Inspections LLC.