3D Printing and the Future of Manufacturing :
Who would have thought that modern manufacturing
could be done without a factory? Since the Industrial
Revolution, manufacturing has been synonymous with
factories, machine tools, production lines and economies
of scale. So it is startling to think about manufacturing
without tooling, assembly lines or supply chains. However,
this is exactly what is happening as 3D printing reaches
individuals, small businesses and corporate departments.
Today you can make parts, appliances and tools in a wide
variety of materials right from your home or workplace.
Using a computer, simply create, modify or download a
digital 3D model of an object. Click “print,” just as you
would for a document, and watch your physical 3D
object take shape. No longer the stuff of science fiction,
3D printing is a new reality.
could be done without a factory? Since the Industrial
Revolution, manufacturing has been synonymous with
factories, machine tools, production lines and economies
of scale. So it is startling to think about manufacturing
without tooling, assembly lines or supply chains. However,
this is exactly what is happening as 3D printing reaches
individuals, small businesses and corporate departments.
Today you can make parts, appliances and tools in a wide
variety of materials right from your home or workplace.
Using a computer, simply create, modify or download a
digital 3D model of an object. Click “print,” just as you
would for a document, and watch your physical 3D
object take shape. No longer the stuff of science fiction,
3D printing is a new reality.
While this new reality is exciting, it also poses significant
questions for the future of how we manufacture goods.
Factories will not disappear, but the face of the manufacturing
industry will change as new entrants, new products
and new materials emerge, and mainstay processes
like distribution may no longer be needed. Today’s consumers
clamor for customized products and services and
for speed of delivery. Yet customization and immediacy
— right here, right now — are not economical with traditional
manufacturing processes, which are optimized for
large volumes of consistent output in a factory far away.
3D printing changes the calculus of manufacturing by
optimizing for batches of one. 3D printers are being used
to economically create custom, improved and sometimes
even impossible-to-manufacture products right where
they will be used. A single printer can produce a vast
range of products, sometimes already assembled. It’s a
factory without a factory floor and it has created a platform
for innovation, enabling manufacturing to flourish in
uncommon areas and spawning a new generation of doit-
yourself (DIY) manufacturers. The new players, with
their innovative processes and technology, will disrupt manufacturing as we know it. The Economist calls 3Dprinting the third Industrial Revolution, following mechanization
in the 19th century and assembly-line mass production in the 20th century.
questions for the future of how we manufacture goods.
Factories will not disappear, but the face of the manufacturing
industry will change as new entrants, new products
and new materials emerge, and mainstay processes
like distribution may no longer be needed. Today’s consumers
clamor for customized products and services and
for speed of delivery. Yet customization and immediacy
— right here, right now — are not economical with traditional
manufacturing processes, which are optimized for
large volumes of consistent output in a factory far away.
3D printing changes the calculus of manufacturing by
optimizing for batches of one. 3D printers are being used
to economically create custom, improved and sometimes
even impossible-to-manufacture products right where
they will be used. A single printer can produce a vast
range of products, sometimes already assembled. It’s a
factory without a factory floor and it has created a platform
for innovation, enabling manufacturing to flourish in
uncommon areas and spawning a new generation of doit-
yourself (DIY) manufacturers. The new players, with
their innovative processes and technology, will disrupt manufacturing as we know it. The Economist calls 3Dprinting the third Industrial Revolution, following mechanization
in the 19th century and assembly-line mass production in the 20th century.
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