3D printing could well rewrite the rules of manufacturing in much the same way as the PC did for computing.
“What could well be the next great technological disruption is fermenting away, out of sight, in small workshops, college labs, garages and basements. Tinkerers with machines that turn binary digits into molecules are pioneering a whole new way of making things—one that could well rewrite the rules of manufacturing in much the same way as the PC trashed the traditional world of computing,” the Economist wrote in a recent blog. It continued, “The machines, called 3D printers, have existed in industry for years. But at a cost of $100,000 to $1m, few individuals could ever afford one. Fortunately, like everything digital, their price has fallen. So much so, industrial 3D printers can now be had for $15,000, and home versions for little more than $1,000 (or half that in kit form). ‘In many ways, today’s 3D printing community resembles the personal computing community of the early 1990s,’ says Michael Weinberg, a staff lawyer at Public Knowledge, an advocacy group in Washington, DC.” CSI wrote a similar blog, The Future of Manufacturing in North America, back in February 2012. Click here to revisit our thoughts. To read The Economist’s full blog click here. | Raymond Matt, CFP, CLU, TEP, CHS
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