Imagine that you could reproduce any physical object. What would you chose? A key? A house? A nostalgic toy that you lost as a kid? This is where we are going folks.
Printing solid objects from plastic is just the beginning. The printing industry is adding color, texture and new materials, that can be combined into any construction. Prices are dropping by the demand and the printers are getting faster and more accurate. Just like the Personal Computers entered our homes 30 years ago, these machines are soon everywhere.
Ok, but is this just printing in one more dimension right? Hell no. This is an internet connected replicator. Any object that you can download in ones and zeros, you can create. Here are five industries that will be turned upside down.
Cars and vehicles
You’ll never need to order another spare part for your car or bike. You or your mechanic can just create one on the fly based on the online 3D-repository of your car manufacturer.
Fashion and jewellry
Anything you can draw on your computer, can be created. Just design a garment on top of a size 5 3d-model. Let the computer calculate measures for the other sizes and you are done. You are ready to sell you collection world wide online and even let customers add custom modifications to details and cuts. Same with jewellery. Endless possibilities and it’s happening already. Artists are already manufacturing printed jewellery and selling in uptown shops in New York City.
Construction
This is the core of what 3D-printers do. Sure you can print spare parts, tools and even pipes or custom house interior, but the true revolution will appear when you can 3D print entire buildings. Imagine internet connected spider like robots sweeping back and forth, day and night with atomic precision. It’s all a matter of cost.
Transport and logistics
Scan an object in one location. Ship it digitally. Re-assemble it somewhere else. 200 years of international infrastructure will take a blow from this. It might not be tomorrow, or the year after but in a not too distant future. Commercial goods will not only be sold online, but shipped online.
Sex
Ok, I’ll leave this one for your imagination.