Will a new manufacturing technology change the world?

I was astonished to recently read about a technological development that I initially dismissed as an early April fool joke – the concept of 3D printing. It’s a compelling story, packed full of relevance, particularly for A2 students looking at Production, or Operations Management.

The Economist have dedicated an issue to evaluating what this new technology might mean. They begin by examining the factory system that made possible the mass production of goods, thereby creating economies of scale which changed the economy—and society—in ways that nobody could have imagined at the time. The breakthrough offered by 3D printing is that it could be as cheap to create single items as it is to produce thousands. The potential impact of this would be profound.

It works by downloading a design to your computer screen and making any minor adjustments you wish. Then you press print. A machine nearby whirrs into life and builds up the object gradually, by progressively adding material, one layer at a time (hence the technology’s other name, additive manufacturing). Eventually the object in question—a spare part for your car, a lampshade, a violin—pops out. Small items can be made by a machine like a desktop printer, in the corner of an office, a shop or even a house; big items—bicycle frames, panels for cars, aircraft parts—need a larger machine, and a bit more space.

Sounds like science fiction? At the moment the process is possible only with certain materials (plastics, resins and metals) and with a precision of around a tenth of a millimetre. But it doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to see where this could be in 15-20 years. A basic 3D printer now costs less than a laser printer did in 1985.

Other issues to consider include:

- Production lines would be unnecessary
- It would massively reduce waste
- It allows the creation of parts in shapes that conventional techniques cannot achieve (possibly resulting in new, much more efficient designs)
- Individual customisation would mean each item could be made slightly differently at almost no extra cost. Mass production could, in short, give way to mass customisation for all kinds of products, from shoes to spectacles to kitchenware.
- 3D printing should also promote innovation. If you can design a shape on a computer, you can turn it into an object. You can print a dozen, see if there is a market for them, and print 50 more if there is, modifying the design using feedback from early users. This will be a bonus to inventors and start-ups, because trying out new products will become less risky and expensive.
- Of course, when objects can be described in a digital file, they become much easier to copy and distribute—and, of course, to pirate. Intellectual property will be harder to defend

The long term implications are hard to imagine .... but why not have a go?