Many supply-chain headaches can be alleviated with 3-D printing, but there are some perils attached to the benefits.

A decade ago, consumers accepted waiting a week for their product but now with the infusion of companies such as Amazon and Alibaba, consumers are making their purchase decisions based on how quickly they will receive the product. In order to stay competitive in the marketplace, companies are turning to 3D printing to create their products quicker.

In a further sign of the falling barriers to hardware innovation, the price of 3D printing machines is expected to fall 6.4 percent in 2016, according to a report by market research firm IBISWorld.

Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is the home of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC), the center of the Air Force Materiel Command's (AFMC) aircraft, engine, missile, software and avionics management and maintenance centers.

In a sign that 3D printing is entering the mainstream, Staples will go live with an online 3D printing platform, allowing consumers and small businesses to upload 3D designs or choose from preselected models.

Using a cluster model developed at the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation, Cliff Waldman, MAPI Foundation economic studies director, says 3D printing has caused an increase in regional manufacturing competitiveness.

It seems that these days you can 3D print anything, from food to parts for rocket engines.