My interest in 3D-printing at the moment is two-fold.
I give a class at University which explores new and upcoming technologies within the field of IT (Information Technology), specifically focusing on managerial and business implications. One of the technologies discussed with the students was 3D-printing.
Secondly my wife is studying Industrial Design. For one of her current projects she had the option to either build a prototype from scratch or to have it 3d-printed.
From both of these experiences, I believe the claims that 3D-printing will revolutionize our lives (especially manufacturing) is somewhat over-hyped.
3D-printing is an amazing technology but there are a number of critical hurdles that it needs to overcome for it to lead to the "Next Industrial Revolution."
Essentially the claim I am skeptical of is that home users will not purchase any products any more but rather print them, themselves.
The hurdles I see are as follows:
Cost: Buying a 3D-printer is still very expensive. A decent quality "home" 3D-printer costs approximately R20 000 (~$2000). This printer is still limited in size (140mm X 140mm X 140 mm) and will not be able to produce everything you require. The cost of the plastic is also not trivial. One example is apprixmately R300 (!$30) per kg. While it is possible to do a lot of a kg of printing plastic economies of scale dictate that large manufacturers will nearly always be cheaper.
Having your printing done by a 3rd party is also expensive. For a single object of approximately (190mm X 75mm X 75mm) the cheapest quote my wife could obtain was R900 (~$90). This was for a laptop speaker she had to design. We were able to buy a cheap set (for her to cannibalize) for less than R100 (~$10).
Time: The object that my wife wanted to print (mentioned above) would have taken 19 hours to print. Obviously the time taken depends on quality and resolution, but it is still significant. It is almost faster to purchase the product you want an Amazon and have it shipped to you than wait for it to be printed.
Creativity: The average home owner does not have the time or inclination to create a complicated CAD (Computer Aided Design) model of the product they want printed. It is much easier for them to buy an already designed product.
They could of course download for free or purchase existing designs, but those design have most likely also been converted to actual products which they could instead purchase.
3D printing is an exciting technology which does have a lot of applications (e.g. prototyping for designers, customised medical uses etc.) but in terms of starting a desktop industrial revolution I seriously doubt it.
Comments or thoughts?
I give a class at University which explores new and upcoming technologies within the field of IT (Information Technology), specifically focusing on managerial and business implications. One of the technologies discussed with the students was 3D-printing.
Secondly my wife is studying Industrial Design. For one of her current projects she had the option to either build a prototype from scratch or to have it 3d-printed.
From both of these experiences, I believe the claims that 3D-printing will revolutionize our lives (especially manufacturing) is somewhat over-hyped.
3D-printing is an amazing technology but there are a number of critical hurdles that it needs to overcome for it to lead to the "Next Industrial Revolution."
Essentially the claim I am skeptical of is that home users will not purchase any products any more but rather print them, themselves.
The hurdles I see are as follows:
- Cost
- Time
- Creativity
Cost: Buying a 3D-printer is still very expensive. A decent quality "home" 3D-printer costs approximately R20 000 (~$2000). This printer is still limited in size (140mm X 140mm X 140 mm) and will not be able to produce everything you require. The cost of the plastic is also not trivial. One example is apprixmately R300 (!$30) per kg. While it is possible to do a lot of a kg of printing plastic economies of scale dictate that large manufacturers will nearly always be cheaper.
Having your printing done by a 3rd party is also expensive. For a single object of approximately (190mm X 75mm X 75mm) the cheapest quote my wife could obtain was R900 (~$90). This was for a laptop speaker she had to design. We were able to buy a cheap set (for her to cannibalize) for less than R100 (~$10).
Time: The object that my wife wanted to print (mentioned above) would have taken 19 hours to print. Obviously the time taken depends on quality and resolution, but it is still significant. It is almost faster to purchase the product you want an Amazon and have it shipped to you than wait for it to be printed.
Creativity: The average home owner does not have the time or inclination to create a complicated CAD (Computer Aided Design) model of the product they want printed. It is much easier for them to buy an already designed product.
They could of course download for free or purchase existing designs, but those design have most likely also been converted to actual products which they could instead purchase.
3D printing is an exciting technology which does have a lot of applications (e.g. prototyping for designers, customised medical uses etc.) but in terms of starting a desktop industrial revolution I seriously doubt it.
Comments or thoughts?
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