3D Printing

How long till the 3D Printing Revolution?

For some, the 3D Printing Revolution is here already: the maker community, at the individual level, can now find more 3D printers hovering close to the US $1200-$1500 price tag, much as the prosumer DSLR or Camcorder market evolved. The industrial design community is excited by the prospect of having 3D modeling give them the ability to do iterative prototyping easily. And the medical world is taking to creating new procedures where 3D printing, with inert materials, can be used to teach, experiment and do replacement surgery that is customized to the individual patient as never before.

This infographic, although it is designed more like a stream of individual slides than a story built around highly symbolic visual metaphors,  does offer a view of an exciting trajectory of adoption for 3D printing, with supporting charts, graphics and statistical data presented visually.

At the end, It does pose the question of what will happen to copyrighting and the ownership of IP as 3D printing becomes disruptive for design and prototyping in a more prevalent way, and in the hands of individuals.

I would have liked to see more about the concept of personalization and bespoke production/manufacturing that 3D printing will be able to offer, but suffice it to say that the Infographic does invite the reader to look at some of the major players that have emerged in the field.

Finally, the sources are credited for the content, and in that spirit, this infographic was submitted to my by Newark/ Element 14 which markets a wide variety of devices and parts for the maker community.