# API Driven 3D Printing and Manufacturing Supply Chain

**Author:** kinlane  
**Canonical:** https://apievangelist.com/2012/12/19/api-driven-3d-printing-and-manufacturing-supply-chain/

I'm working on a new trends section of API Evangelist.  One area i'm tracking on is the opportunities around 3D printing and APIs.  

I did some fun research, and [laid down some interest thoughts on APIs and 3D printing in 2011](/2011/05/18/3d-printing-and-manufacturing-supply-chain/).  This was part of some research I was doing while working at Mimeo.  

As I do with all my research, I blog along the way, to help me learn and organize my thoughts. With this trends research into 3D printing, I am working to understand the major components of 3D printing so I can see where APIs are can have the biggest impact. 

I've identified 10 major components of 3D printing:

*   **[Creators](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--the-creators/ "Creators")** - 3D designers of virtual print objects
*   **[Scanners](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--3d-scanners/ "Scanners")** - Scanning hardware for generating 3D models
*   **[Modeling Software](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--3d-modeling-software/ "Modeling Software")** - Applications for building 3D models
*   **[File Formats](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--files--formats/ "File Formats")** - File formats for storing 3D models
*   **[Warehousing](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--virtual-warehousing/ "Warehousing")** - Virtual storage for 3D models
*   **[Marketplaces](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--marketplaces/ "Marketplaces")** - Arenas for showcasing, distributing and ordering 3D products
*   **[Printers](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printers--printers/ "Printers")** - Companies and hardware that deliver 3D printing
*   **[Process & Materials](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--process--materials/ "Process & Materials")** - The process and materials that go into 3D printing
*   **[Makers](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--makers/ "Makers")** - The people who understand 3D printers, process, materials and industries
*   **[Delivery](/2011/05/18/series--3d-printing--delivery/ "Delivery")** - Logistics behind getting 3D printed products to consumers

Of course this is just my perspective of the industry and can evolve as I learn more, and collaborate with other industry players.![](https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/3D-Printing/3d-printing-manufacturing.jpg) 

This series was just to help me understand the major components, and I will do another series on how APIs can impact these areas.  I also have a summary post on [ProgrammableWeb.com](http://www.programmableweb.com/ "ProgrammableWeb.com") about the role of APIs in 3D printing.

3D Printing is something I will be talking about a lot in 2013.  I think all of these areas I laid out have the potential to be radically transformed by APIs.  I will be taking my original research on 3D printing from 2011 and see where I can evolve it based upon what is going on in the 3D printing space in 2013.