Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Politics and Other Controversies
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 02-24-2014, 02:12 PM
 
8,483 posts, read 6,906,215 times
Reputation: 1119

Advertisements

Very interesting projects out there.
Will 3D printing change manufacturing and delivery forever ...
quote:
3D printing is set to disrupt multiple industries thanks to its unique position at the intersection of three important trends in technology: the Internet of Things, our growing desire to personalize our things, and the coming revolution in the way things get delivered to us.
Operating at this unique trifecta, 3D printing promises to democratize the design and build process, allowing consumers to create their own stuff from scratch and take the concept of mass customization to an entirely new level. As modern consumers have come to expect very custom experiences, it’s no longer enough for manufacturers and merchants to offer products in a wide range of colors and styles. The ability to customize nearly everything is now commonplace, even expected, in products ranging from T-shirts to tennis shoes and iPods to M&Ms. 3D printing delivers the ability to customize quickly and inexpensively without worrying about minimum production runs.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
29,667 posts, read 24,710,327 times
Reputation: 28334
It's hard to say where and when 3D printing will be applied. The process of "printing" metallic and even plastic components is time consuming and often very finicky. And don't be fooled... It still requires workers even during the printing process. Today's production methods are many times more efficient, and really don't require much in the way of workers. I've seen machines that spit out 1000's of complex parts in an 8 hour shift, where 4 machines could be operated by 1 worker. Now that is efficiency at it's peak. They can even instal precision cameras which can halt the line when defects are detected.

Where I see 3D printing becoming quite useful... Rapid prototyping and small quantity production. That's entirely dependent on the quality of the "print", and that even goes down to the molecular level. I understand that GE is printing turbines, but they are also treating the printed part like a casting. Once it is printed, they are using conventional machining applications to apply critical dimensions. Basically, they only trust the printer up to a certain degree. They are also checking the resulting product with absolute scrutiny. Again, the tech is new, and they have to get a feel for it's capabilities and it's weaknesses.

3D printing will expand our possibilities when it comes to what we can manufacture. I think it will open the doors for innovation, and allow engineers greater freedom in the development of products. There's many things that can not be manufactured using conventional means. Of course, due to the time required to print items, many new designs might be cost prohibitive when it comes to consumer products.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:10 PM
 
Location: Pueblo - Colorado's Second City
12,259 posts, read 24,386,371 times
Reputation: 4395
There was a story on this on cnn. Very insightful.

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:13 PM
 
34,248 posts, read 19,252,443 times
Reputation: 17237
I love the discussions about this. so many people keep saying-its too expensive, only high end shops will have this, etc etc.

Those line up almost perfectly with laser printers. You know, full color ones like what many of us purchase inexpensively? And that the VAST majority of our printing is done on?

3D printing is major. The laser sintering for printing metals is coming to a affordable level eventually. I can see people buying kits with everything but the metal and plastic and printing the rest at home. Later as graphene and other materials are added we're going to see incredible advances.

And this changes everything. Its a small hint of what mems and then later atomic level assembly will bring.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:16 PM
 
Location: Pueblo - Colorado's Second City
12,259 posts, read 24,386,371 times
Reputation: 4395
The thing is 3D printers are a form of Information technology this advance exponentially. I have a thread about this in the science and technology forum.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/scien...-printers.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:19 PM
 
11,086 posts, read 8,507,529 times
Reputation: 6392
All the unemployed millenials need to find a niche in this industry rather than whining and begging for free sh*t from the employed.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:42 PM
 
Location: San Francisco
8,996 posts, read 10,426,164 times
Reputation: 5751
Where will the NRA get its money once its corporate sponsors have collapsed due to home 3D printing of weapons?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:43 PM
 
Location: Pueblo - Colorado's Second City
12,259 posts, read 24,386,371 times
Reputation: 4395
Quote:
Originally Posted by pch1013 View Post
Where will the NRA get its money once its corporate sponsors have collapsed due to home 3D printing of weapons?
What you describe is technological unemployment and will impact ever sector of the economy.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:44 PM
 
34,248 posts, read 19,252,443 times
Reputation: 17237
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goinback2011 View Post
All the unemployed millenials need to find a niche in this industry rather than whining and begging for free sh*t from the employed.
This has very little to do with the conversation. LOL. Even worse I don't think you comprehend for an instant the kind of changes we're suggesting are coming as a result of this. I can assure you that we're not talking about more people being employed, quite the opposite. Your entire statement is based on a viewpoint of what NOW is thats based on what the world USED to be, and has nothing to do with the world thats coming.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-24-2014, 04:44 PM
 
793 posts, read 1,414,434 times
Reputation: 422
Quote:
Originally Posted by greywar View Post
I love the discussions about this. so many people keep saying-its too expensive, only high end shops will have this, etc etc.

Those line up almost perfectly with laser printers. You know, full color ones like what many of us purchase inexpensively? And that the VAST majority of our printing is done on?

3D printing is major. The laser sintering for printing metals is coming to a affordable level eventually. I can see people buying kits with everything but the metal and plastic and printing the rest at home. Later as graphene and other materials are added we're going to see incredible advances.

And this changes everything. Its a small hint of what mems and then later atomic level assembly will bring.
Yep. Pretty soon.. Need a car part? Go to your local auto parts store. They don't have many parts, just a block of raw material. You buy the license to use 1 part. come back an hour later and pick it up.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Politics and Other Controversies
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top