3D printing revolution has begun | The Economist
- 5 years ago
QUIRKY AND SHAPEWAYS are putting the tools of manufacturing into the hands of the masses using 3D printers and social networks. New products, designs and fortunes will follow
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Today with tools as simple as a laptop computer and an internet connection it is possible for the individual to become a manufacturer, and to make a profit doing so. Clever software, social networks, and new production processes like 3D printing, are ushering in a third Industrial Revolution in which anyone can dream up a design and see it built within days at a small fraction of the traditional cost.
The impact will be profound. Two companies that are putting these tools into the hands of the individual can be found in New York City once the capital of manufacturing in America. They are called Shapeways and Quirky.
Shapeways, formerly a Dutch company but now headquartered in the middle of Manhattan, uses 3D printers to make anything its community dreams up. Last year's Shapeways printed 750,000 items for people. Gadgets and craft ideas tend to dominate. 3D printers are capable of producing complex shapes but they can also print mechanical objects with moving parts.
It is though early days 3D printers are improving in ability and are able to print an increasing variety of materials. Parts for fighter jets and cars are being made with 3D printers by some manufacturers today and unlike traditional factories 3D printers are not confined by economies of scale - this makes them ideal for producing small volumes and customised objects. For a while yet, many mass-produced products will still be made by conventional means. But change is coming and with it manufacturing is becoming less dependent on wage costs - this means production can move back to big cities like New York where it once dominated but has since dwindled.
Another young firm that has built its headquarters in New York is Quirky which operates from a converted warehouse near the Hudson River. Here a group of designers turn the best ideas submitted by their online community into products.
Quirky has nearly two hundred thousand registered users and many ideas circulate in its online forums. When one gets enough likes by the community and is chosen by the staff weeks or months of brainstorming refining an engineering follow. Prototypes are made in Quirky's machine shop which uses some of the latest production equipment including 3D printers and laser cutters the inventor and the users who give valuable feedback are known as influencers and they are kept close to the process - joining video discussions and submitting their own critiques and test results along the way. The users suggest colors modifications and even help set the pricing. Then if the prototypes get the go-ahead outside manufacturers are contracted to mass-produce the products. This is usually done in conventional ways the final products are sold online and in stores. Devices that solve common problems like clutter under the computer or in the kitchen have been the most popular one of Quirky's most successful items is a flexible extension lead and the inventors stand to make quite a bit of money off their ideas. Quirky says it is prepared to have a go at making just about anything and their platform is not just for amateurs with back of the napkin ideas. Quirky invites designs from inventors who have tried the traditional manufacturing route. Some even have patents of their own.
Online services like Shapeways and Quirky show that the barriers of entry to manufacturing are coming down. To make something all you need is a good idea and a laptop computer. Whether in cities, villages, or the back of beyond, technologies like these will encourage people to design products that have never existed before and change the way the world makes things.
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Today with tools as simple as a laptop computer and an internet connection it is possible for the individual to become a manufacturer, and to make a profit doing so. Clever software, social networks, and new production processes like 3D printing, are ushering in a third Industrial Revolution in which anyone can dream up a design and see it built within days at a small fraction of the traditional cost.
The impact will be profound. Two companies that are putting these tools into the hands of the individual can be found in New York City once the capital of manufacturing in America. They are called Shapeways and Quirky.
Shapeways, formerly a Dutch company but now headquartered in the middle of Manhattan, uses 3D printers to make anything its community dreams up. Last year's Shapeways printed 750,000 items for people. Gadgets and craft ideas tend to dominate. 3D printers are capable of producing complex shapes but they can also print mechanical objects with moving parts.
It is though early days 3D printers are improving in ability and are able to print an increasing variety of materials. Parts for fighter jets and cars are being made with 3D printers by some manufacturers today and unlike traditional factories 3D printers are not confined by economies of scale - this makes them ideal for producing small volumes and customised objects. For a while yet, many mass-produced products will still be made by conventional means. But change is coming and with it manufacturing is becoming less dependent on wage costs - this means production can move back to big cities like New York where it once dominated but has since dwindled.
Another young firm that has built its headquarters in New York is Quirky which operates from a converted warehouse near the Hudson River. Here a group of designers turn the best ideas submitted by their online community into products.
Quirky has nearly two hundred thousand registered users and many ideas circulate in its online forums. When one gets enough likes by the community and is chosen by the staff weeks or months of brainstorming refining an engineering follow. Prototypes are made in Quirky's machine shop which uses some of the latest production equipment including 3D printers and laser cutters the inventor and the users who give valuable feedback are known as influencers and they are kept close to the process - joining video discussions and submitting their own critiques and test results along the way. The users suggest colors modifications and even help set the pricing. Then if the prototypes get the go-ahead outside manufacturers are contracted to mass-produce the products. This is usually done in conventional ways the final products are sold online and in stores. Devices that solve common problems like clutter under the computer or in the kitchen have been the most popular one of Quirky's most successful items is a flexible extension lead and the inventors stand to make quite a bit of money off their ideas. Quirky says it is prepared to have a go at making just about anything and their platform is not just for amateurs with back of the napkin ideas. Quirky invites designs from inventors who have tried the traditional manufacturing route. Some even have patents of their own.
Online services like Shapeways and Quirky show that the barriers of entry to manufacturing are coming down. To make something all you need is a good idea and a laptop computer. Whether in cities, villages, or the back of beyond, technologies like these will encourage people to design products that have never existed before and change the way the world makes things.
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The Economist videos give authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them.