Throughout human history, people have bought and traded objects from other people who specialise in their production. While normally taken for granted, this situation of mutual exchange is one of the foundations of the global economy. All of this might be about to change however, with the recent development of affordable 3D printers. We may soon be able to reproduce solid objects in our own homes, which will have a number of economic, social, and environmental implications.
3D printers, also known as a stereolithography machines or additive manufacturing devices, are capable of making three dimensional solid objects one layer at a time. While this technology is still too expensive for most home users and small businesses, costs are coming down all the time. This technology could eventually reduce or eliminate the need for assembly lines and distribution networks in certain situations, while testing intellectual property laws in the process.
The first patent for 3D printing was granted to Wyn Kelly in 1977, for a system that described object manufacture using a combination of a laser and a liquid monomer. In recent years, 3D printing has also become known as rapid prototyping, due to its use in one-off production and product testing. By completely eliminating the use of tool path calculations, many objects can now be built quicker than ever before.
While the cost of 3D printing systems is still prohibitive for most people, like all computer hardware, costs are coming down fast. Many analysts think 3D printing will become available to everyday people in the next few years, effectively allowing people to manufacture small objects in their own home for the cost of raw materials alone. Imagine the implications if a $1000 machine becomes capable of making any plastic or polymer object up to a certain size.
With the continuing development of additive manufacturing, designs will take the place of products and information will become key. In many ways, this trend has been taking place ever since the birth of the computer, and 3D printers are simply the latest example of this process. It is quite possible that in a few years time, the entire manufacturing industry will be suffering from the intellectual property and piracy problems now plaguing the music, movie, and software industries.
Despite these problems however, many people see 3D printing as a way to free people from the negative elements of commerce. Put simply, once the price of this technology gets to a certain level, it will enable poor people to get increased access to physical goods. There are also a number of environmental advantages to additive manufacturing, mostly because of the links between product distribution and pollution.
Transformative technologies like the steam engine and the light bulb have long been the catalysts of human history, with the invention of computers enabling change to happen faster than ever before. While the initial impact of 3D printing is likely to be gradual, this technology could eventually lead to big changes in the manufacturing economy and the very nature of global society.
