Companies such as GE are using 3-D printers along with Big Data technology to identify any malformed structures as the parts are being produced. Executives of GE estimate that production speed can be increased by up to 25% and quality control can be reduced by the same amount.
Another interesting aspect is the change in global manufacturing scenario with China at the forefront. The Chinese hegemony in cost effective mass manufacturing will be challenged with labor costs not playing as big a role as it does presently.
challenges
Another aspect that was briefly discussed earlier was the impact of local printers and manufacturers. There can be a scenario wherein the individual buys a design on the internet, customizes it and prints it in one of the local 3-D Printing establishments. This is a paradigm shift as to how manufacturing is done currently. It potentially decouples design and manufacturing bringing the complex IP (Intellectual Property) issues into the fore. Recently, the company which holds the copyright for the popular comic Tintin filed a case to bring down the designs to print a Tintin memorabilia from the popular Open Source 3-D design site thingiverse.com. The legal complexities can be overwhelming in the future with p2p networks sharing more designs than movies in the future.
The biggest challenge for 3D printing will certainly be to mimic the different textures of raw materials. The functionality and quality of many manufactured goods depends on the use of natural materials with varied physical properties. Although there has been significant breakthroughs in printing soft touch materials, there is still a long way to go to convert physical materials into a powdered form which can be sintered or glued together.
Training the workforce to use 3-D printing will be a challenge as it’s an overhaul of the entire manufacturing process. Uncertainty over the technology and its integration with existing IT infrastructure is also a major roadblock on adoption of 3-D printing.
“With great data comes great danger”. The data generated by 3D printers need to be securely stored since this data as well as designs potentially carry information that gives the companies their competitive advantage.
In a scenario where a network of 3D Printers work in coordination with each other, securing these networks becomes a huge challenge. potentially carry information that gives the companies their competitive advantage. In a scenario where a network of 3D Printers work in coordination with each other, securing these networks becomes a huge challenge.
conclusion
3D printing has the ability to transform ideas and information into physical objects. It has the potential of transforming us from consumers to creators. The Economist has called 3D printing the third industrial revolution. Its influence can be seen everywhere, from medicine to movies and from food to fashion. However, with a rapid advent of technology in this field, the best is yet to come.