In August of 2013，the author of this book Li Xuhong, along with the China Youth Delegation, participated in the“Training Program for Young Leaders'Innovation＆Development in Public Management”co-sponsored by the International Youth Exchange Center and Boston University. He earnestly studied the effective innovation mechanism in the U.S.and came to know a lot of new cases, fresh thinking, innovative approaches and different experiences through visiting the America's most famous 3D systems company located in the Boston suburb and communicating with the enterprise managers and Boston University professors.Mr.Li was deeply impressed by this great and imaginative 3D printing technology and its rapid development.After returning home, through systematically collecting and analyzing the domestic and international data and literature, he had gradually acquired the knowledge about technical features of 3D printing, the status quo and its internal and external state of development.Besides, he had built an interdisciplinary research team mainly consisted of post-doctors and doctors from China's top universities, launching a professional research team on 3D printing technology and its related areas such as industrial prospect strategic impact andpolicy setting.With more than six-month efforts, the research team accomplished this book, entitled"3D Printing：the Engine of the Third Industrial Revolution"（name to-be-confrmed）.
On June 3，2014，Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, pointed out in a keynote speech at the 2014 International Conference of Engineering＆Technology，"Innovation of science and technology can generate an industry, imposing a great influence upon and even changing the world."3D printing technology, formally known as“additive manufacturing”，is the very innovation driven by commercial development. The＆nbsp；innovation in 3D has witnessed an increasing development.Such innovation is now widely applied in the domains such as jewelry, footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction（AEC），automobile, aerospace, dental and medical industry, education, geographic information system, civil engineering and military affairs.According to the estimation made by the U.S.Department of Energy, the mode of additive manufacturing will save over 50%of energy than the existing mode of cutting-material manufacturing which relies on employing machine tools, accordingly replacing the existing mode and profoundly infuencing the future of the manufacturing sector as a new economic engine.So far, America and Europe are taking the lead in the development and application of 3D printing technology.As for China, researches on the 3D printing technology should be given the deserved attention and carried out immediately as a national strategy.We believe that, with the advent of the third industrial revolution, the 3D printing technology has the potential to be the engine of the coming industrial revolution.