Revolutionary Change: 3D Printing

A few days ago I posted about the 15 different technologies that I follow and focus my attention upon.

Here is the list:

https://steemit.com/technology/@taskmaster4450/15-technologies-that-i-watch-which-i-believe-have-a-good-chance-of-making-a-major-impact-in-our-lives

3D printing is about to explode. We witnessed an incredible amount of progress the last two years taking it from an infantile industry to one that is starting to make headway. While still a long way from being mainstream, it is having an impact in some traditional areas.

This is not a new technology. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, has been around for decades. Over that time, it traditionally was relegated to the automobile and aeronautical industries. Like most things to do with technology today, things are changing quickly.

Two major moves sprung this industry forward. The first was HP introducing their Jet Fusion technology. This dramatically increased the print speed while reducing the costs compared to what was previously available. While still carrying a 6 figure price tag, this make it attractive to manufacturers who were still using the time tested processes. The other was GE dropping over $1B on two 3D printing companies. With that move, GE not only improved their production times but also put themselves at the head of the 3D class. They are now one of the major suppliers of 3D printing equipment.

As a disclaimer, I own no stake in either company. While I like what both these companies are doing in 3D printing, their legacy divisions are too much of a drag. Quite simply, 3D printing doesn't make up enough to compensate for the rest of the company.

So where does the 3D printing market stand?

Right now, we see a split with high and low end. There is no middle. Most are aware of those who buy a printer for a few hundred dollars and produce figurines of Yoda. This is the low end market which has really gotten the attention of the artsy/creative people.

At the same time, the traditional, large scale manufacturers embraced this. Companies such as Ford, Boeing, and Audi all bought printers for their operations. It is easy to see why this is the case with the prices still so costly. Also, the detail is not quite there yet so producing something like a turbine does not require the fineness that some other products do.

3D printing is still mostly a prototyping technology. Because of the existing speed limitations and post printing processes required, it takes a while to create a product. Prototyping works well because it matters little if something takes a couple days to produce. However, if you were trying to manufacture for an assembly line, taking 3 days to produce a gas cap isn't a viable solution.

Where is 3D Printing going?

We are going to see a few things happen which will completely alter the 3D printing landscape.

The first, as with all technologies, the prices will come down over time. In fact, they already have. We will see more companies be able to afford the technology as the costs start to hit the $25K-$50K levels. Also, we will see the filaments also reduced in price as competition and better manufacturing methods on that end take over.

We will see the detail problem cleared up with less post-production manipulation required. This will seriously reduce the start-to- finish time. Overall, this accelerates the cost savings, shortening the ROI.

These two variables will help to create a middle market segment. Smaller manufacturers will embrace this technology as compared to only the large, multi-nationals being involved. Like always, the big boys are the guinea pigs buying into version 1.0.

Manufacturing all over the world is headed to 3D printers. It is only a matter of time. Eventually, we will have these printers in our homes printing out things as they are needed. While this aspect is still, most likely, decades away, it is where things will end up. This will deflate the cost of things substantially.

As an aside, I know I didn't touch upon what is going on in the bio-tech or dental arenas with regardless to this technology. It simply is a space issue. However, it is noteworthy to mention that huge strides are being made in these areas too.

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Google images provided the pictures.