While cleaning my electric razor a clip that holds the blades in place flicked off and disappeared down the plughole. I wasn’t too worried as I was due to replace the shaving head shortly. It was only when I found that new heads were no longer available that I started to fret.

With replacement head no longer available I looked to see if I could buy just the clip and that is when I saw the future. Clips were not available from the manufacturer but, for a couple of pounds, I could buy a set of three replacements – in red!

With little choice, I placed the order and a couple of days later the clips arrived – and then I saw what was happening. The clips that arrived did the job and my razor worked. They were red because they had been 3D printed, and red was the colour of the material in the printer.

The future was clear – when 3D printers become household items we will no longer send for replacement parts, instead we will simply download a file from the manufacturer and print that parts we need.

This technology is a game changer – no stock piles, no packaging and posting items – a simple data file and you can print the items needed!

As the world looks to move towards sustainability this is a huge step forward – next we will be recycling old, unwanted items to provide raw material for 3D printing.