WHY 3D printing will fail

Techno Thrills

How will 3D printing affect the supply chain? We know that 3D printing will disrupt manufacturing and the international supply chain, but nobody seems to know how yet. Now a paper from the Business School at Lingman Normal University in Zhanjiang has tried to separate the wood from the trees. The general consensus is that 3D printing is going to have a profound effect. The concept of mass producing goods half way around the world and then shipping them is inherently inefficient. UPS clearly agrees, as it is investing heavily in 3D printing centers throughout the US that can produce goods on demand for local delivery. So even the big players are panicking, but what will actually happen? There are theories that much of the labor market could actually be wiped out and logistics will become a casualty of the digital era. This doesn’t take into account our natural capacity to adapt, though, and the fact that we have been here before. This isn’t the first rodeo When Asia effectively took over mass production, Europe and the US concentrated on complex products. These goods were often assembled with parts taken from the factories that sprang up in China. Those that didn’t adapt, simply died. The ones that did were often more successful than ever. Now we face a new industrial revolution that brings its own unique problems. We know that there will be upheaval, but still nobody quite knows how this will pan out. The concept of mass producing goods half way around the world and then shipping them is inherently inefficient. UPS clearly agrees, as it is investing heavily in 3D printing centers throughout the US that can produce goods on demand for local delivery. We really don’t know if 3D printing will take over mass manufacturing, or if the benefits of the old system will keep it in the game for a long time to come. Does 3D printing have a limit? Printing speed, cost and the quality of the finished product are all improving at a rate that suggests this is the future. But we may yet find a cut-off point where it is simply not cost-effective to use the printers for a certain product. Well the Chinese researchers have attempted to analyse the situation using system dynamics to offer a rational answer. It posed a number of possibilities and came to the inevitable conclusion: 3D printing is set to change the manufacturing world and the supply chain. [Continue ...] Let me tell you why this is wrong.  I've been to 3-D movies. I have a 3-D capable television.  As a kid I even had 3-D comic books. After watching/reading for just a few minutes my eyes get blurry, and I get a headache, and I am not alone.  Twenty-minutes onto "HOUSE OF WAX," fully half  the audience left the Montclare Theater in some level of distress. So this 3-D printer stuff, while techno exotic, is doomed to go the way of other gadgets that flopped big time. Don't invest. You're welcome.