Posted on 05/29/2016 10:09:31 AM PDT by Haddit
We know that 3D printing will disrupt manufacturing and the international supply chain, but nobody seems to know how yet. Now a paper from the Business School at Lingman Normal University in Zhanjiang has tried to separate the wood from the trees.
The general consensus is that 3D printing is going to have a profound effect. The concept of mass producing goods half way around the world and then shipping them is inherently inefficient. UPS clearly agrees, as it is investing heavily in 3D printing centers throughout the US that can produce goods on demand for local delivery.
So even the big players are panicking, but what will actually happen? There are theories that much of the labor market could actually be wiped out and logistics will become a casualty of the digital era. This doesn’t take into account our natural capacity to adapt, though, and the fact that we have been here before.
(Excerpt) Read more at 3dprintingindustry.com ...
Sorry, they can not replace forged super-alloys with printed materials. Ain’t gonna happen.
They have printers with scanners in them already. It does work like a copier.
There will be a new industry where 3D print shops spring up. It would be hard for a printshop to have all the needs of a print job in one place.
Right now there is IMaterialize, they will print it in many different materials and ship it to you.
The quality and scale is just not there yet.
"The concept of mass producing goods half way around the world and then shipping them is inherently inefficient."
I currently disagree with the above statement.
While I can make a plastic comb or hair brush, or some stupid little broken part of some appliance, I still can't 3D print the thing for less than buying it online or from a store. Not even close.
What I can do is play. I can test designs on the front end to determine what will be sent into production.
Cutting the cost of design/testing will have a huge impact on the front end and will lead to truly innovative products, but it can't match the efficiency of mass production.
Bingo
We will always need precision machinists, just not near as much tooling. I was a tool designer for most of 40 years.
I agree Amazon would be a prime user of this technology. Or they could simply partner with companies like kazzata.
Actually, many companies do manufacture regionally as close to the market as is feasible. I worked at a large mold shop awhile ago...we were working on the injection molds for the Gillette Mach 3 Razor....built several identical molds, including the molding machines, in individual units. Shipped each tool to a different continent, where the razors were actually produced. Shipping of the product was not eliminated, but the process was a lot more efficient than shipping overseas from one source.
Rocket engines don’t have moving parts, and no turbine blades.
I disagree. We’ll end up with new markets and custom manufactured stuff rather than one size fits all junk shipped halfway across the world. Imagine buying custom shoes in your neighborhood for roughly the same price as you would get them for mass produced stuff at the mall.
Cannon just jumped into the 3D printing business. Companies like this can just buy the people and smaller companies to get up to speed. They admit they were slow to jump into the industry.
HP is also involved.
You ever hear of Alphagraphics? Copy shop, serve your printing and publishing needs. They used to be a massive company. Almost as ubiquitous as 7-11. Now they’re down to 260 locations, not dead entirely, but a fraction of what they once were. Do you know why? The death of Alphagraphics is probably sitting on your desk. Laser printers at home, high functioning MFPs in the office. Heck high functioning MFPs at home. Once we got the ability to do what we needed AG for at home we didn’t need them anymore. And soon you’re going to have a 3D printer on your desk next to your paper printer. You’re not going to be buying custom shoes anywhere, you’re going to PRINT them, at home.
There will be a market for custom stuff, but you’ll be buying the design to tweak and send to your computer. Like fancy Word templates and fonts.
Yesterday I had lunch with a vintage car friend. He opened his trunk to show me a wheel cover for a 1974 aluminum wheel and he was happy he got it for just $27. He bought 4 of them.
I could have drawn it up in an hour, printed it in another 40 minutes and it would have cost me about 50 cents.
3D printing technology is moving fast, particularly in the materials.
That's just consumables. Add the cost of your time at a very conservative $75.00/hr and you're at $75.50. What should you charge for production time on the printer? $25.00? You're over $100.00. Then, if you're planning on being a viable business concern, there's markup for profit.
I have had occasion to use 3D printing to fashion a prototype. There are various ‘materials’ (the material used to build up the object, not really ink, and there are metals now being used, too) that can be used for construction giving different usage features such as flexibility or rigidity.
Kind of a challenge if a metal part acquires strength from the grain alignment achieved through forging, or altered properties from heat treatment.
But in my case, I’m retired, I like drawing in 3D, I have the printer and he is a friend. No charge.
>> Even today there is a new 3D printed gun being reported and being reported as being a prospective problem controlling.
I fail to see the problem there. Real-life Weapons Shops of Isher are not a bad thing in my estimation.
You are apparently unfamiliar with the high-speed turbine pumps necessary for operation of a liquid-fueled rocket engine. You have to get the fuel and oxidizer into the combustion chamber somehow.
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