Will 3D printing change the face of the manufacturing industry?

The revolution of 3D printing has meant that for a relatively small price (starting from around £1000) individuals can purchase one for themselves to use in the comfort of their own home to use for small gadgets and toys. This of course means that businesses can join in too, when purchasing an upgraded model the printer can expand into printing with metal and bigger, more complex designs. This means businesses are able to use the machine to print out both prototypes and end products - bypassing the need for warehouse manufacturing. The question is, how far will the bypassing go? Shall we say goodbye to warehouses and factories?

Richard D'Aveni, business professor at Dartmouth College believes so; "We're on the verge of the next industrial revolution, no doubt about it, "D'Aveni's predictions invovle 'entire industries' disappearing, meaning that "Countries relying on mass manufacturing are going to find themselves with no revenues and no jobs." (Source: Gadgets.NDTV.com)
The beauty of 3D printing is that if something is broken, a replacement part is easily printed off to repair it! That is why it's not only retail that is impacted by 3D printing - medical professionals have been able to produce replica body parts, braces and replacements, which in the future will work wonders for surgery - especially for those in wars, who cannot afford to wait for parts to be flown in to assist surgery for the injured soldier.

The other side of the story is that 3D printing might not be as amazing as you're imagining. Nick Allen, founder of 3D Print UK wrote this article on the flaws of 3D printing for the home. He reinforces his love for the machines, but doesn't believe the quality or usefulness will deem 3D printing a new household item.

So we don't have to worry about the longevity of our warehousing and manufacturing industries?
Simply put: No. Nick has a few reasons...

- 3D printing is expensive, and bulk buying items won't reduce costs.
- Not many things are made purely out of one material! The printers that work with more complex materials cost a lot more money - best to leave to the professionals.
- Some materials are not desirable to work with, or even safe. Definitely not the type of stuff you want in your office!
- It's not as speedy as you think. It could take hours or days to print your item, as the machine works by printing layer by layer.
- Coding. The printer needs a design to base the item on, and this means learning a computer langugage to create this. File libraries are appearing online, but as with anything found on the internet there is a risk factor as to its usability.
- Strength it it's weakness. Nick compares it to a lego wall - strong from above, weak from the side. (again, due to the layers).

Basically, the machines have a long way to go until they hit similar standards to the existing manufacturing industry. So you can still use us to fill those warehousing vacancies! Give us a call - find your local branch here.