Reddit reviews Additive Manufacturing Technologies: Rapid Prototyping to Direct Digital Manufacturing

If you want a serious information on the topic I can recommend a few things that I found useful:

1. Wohlers Report by Terry Wohlers
   
   
2. Additive manufacturing technologies: Rapid Prototyping to Direct Digital Manufacturing by Ian Gibson, David W. Ronsen and Brent Stucker
   
   
3. ASTM F42 Terminology standards
   
   Those things cost a pretty penny but they also contain the kind of information that would let you get a job in the industry. One thing to keep in mind that most of these technologies are several decades old and so you can get 95% of the relevant information out of a ten year old book if you just keep up with news. That becomes a much easier task when you stop using the phrase 3d printing, which has been hijacked by the popular media, and start using more technical and precise terms like Directed Energy Deposition or Vat Photopolymerization. Searching with technical terms will yield you a much higher quality of search results.
   
   Another good resource that is FREE is In Short with Todd Grimm
   
   I would suggest you start trying to think beyond just additive manufacturing and instead try to think about the bigger picture advantages that additive manufacturing represents, such as:
   
   
4. The integration of digital tools with mechanical processes
   
   
5. The potential for automating older processes using new digital capabilities.
   
   
6. Bespoke manufacturing and the "maker movement"
   
   If you think of it that way you will have a better perspective of what meta trends 3d printing is applying and then you can apply that knowledge to CNC, laser cutting and/or arm robots which share many of the same characteristics with 3d printing.
   
   I'd also suggest keeping your eye on the 5000+ people/organisations/companies who are active in the area but who release new things rarely. Examples of stuff I keep an eye on:
   
   
7. Computational Design of Mechanical Characters
   
   
8. 3d printed motor
   
   
9. Kniterate
   
   
10. Stitch Meshes for modelling Knitted Clothing
    
    
11. Luxexcel's 3d printed optics
    
    
12. Contour Crafting
    
    
13. DMG Mori Additive Subtractive Hybrid