3D printing is a booming field. According to Forbes, a third of all recent engineering job postings prioritized 3D printing as the most sought-after skill.

Meanwhile, a new research project at the New Brunswick Community College is investigating uses of consumer-based 3D printing and its potential impact on the economy. Led by researcher Harrison Duffley, the year-long NBCC initiative started in April and is funded with $5,000 from the NBCC Strategic Initiatives fund.

“We have been able to print some fairly complex 3D objects,” Duffley says.

Among the creations was a prototype storage case, which a local business intends to use to house the electronic circuit boards in devices it is designing.

“The business provided the computer-based 3D drawings of the case… and we were able to print the case so that they could see how their ideas would work,” Duffley explains. “This would not be a finished product but would assist in the proof of concept phases of product development.”

The goal, he adds, is to aid other businesses in developing new products and testing prototypes.

Duffley says the project is also aimed at inspiring 3D printing entrepreneurship among NBCC students. “Our hope is to demonstrate the technology to our various faculties and have them bring ideas to light in their respective fields, while at the same time engaging our students with this technology.”