3D printing is capturing the attention of a lot of people these days, with promises to disrupt the manufacturing process. Devices that can produce finished objects from malleable substrates conjure up utopian visions of Star Trek-like replicators. The promise: We will eventually build anything we want at the touch of a button.
But like many promises of technology that will usher in a golden age, the reality is far less shiny. 3D printing will change the way goods are manufactured, but the old ways will still essentially remain in play, albeit with some changes.
In other words, don’t count out the Rust Belt quite yet.
Inside 3D Printing
Whether you call it 3D printing or additive manufacturing, the process of creating objects by layering material in precise ways to build goods is nothing new. The core technologies behind it have been around for a couple of decades.
What’s changed is the availability of sturdier materials used to create printed objects, better software to design the objects, and the general decrease in costs of hardware. These factors have combined to make 3D printing much more affordable.
And analysts are noticing: Last week, Gartner released its first forecast on 3D printing, which predicted that global shipments of 3D printers in the sub-$100,000 range will grow by 49% to 56,500 units by the end of 2013, and then jump up another 75% to just over 98,000 units in 2014. Here’s how
0 Responses
Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.