Limits to Distributed Manufacturing

I asked Dr. Joshua Pearce from the Michigan Tech’s Lab in Open Sustainability Technology: What kind of reception have you gotten on your 3D Printers Save You Money paper? Dr. Pearce is a leader in open source 3D printer research. The question remains: if 3D printing saves you money on making practical products, why is nobody doing it? Discuss this more at the OSE Workshops FB page.

For the most part pretty postive – lots of press – see list at bottom. There was some skepticicm – -mostly from people that had some experience that was bad with 3DP. We did another article where we took aim at some of the criticism (e.g. normal people could not build a 3DP )– so we used a Lulzbot to replicate the study — same results: Emily E. Petersen and Joshua Pearce. Emergence of Home Manufacturing in the Developed World: Return on Investment for Open-Source 3-D Printers. Technologies 2017, 5(1), 7; doi:10.3390/technologies5010007

It seems that people are not catching or acting on the potential of 3D printers.

It is still most engineers – but I think there has been a lot of build out in schools, community centers, makerspaces and the like ….even many libraries now have it as a service….so it is coming…but the OS fall of Makerbot really hurt us in terms of speed of uptake.

Do you have thoughts on what is currently missing for practical production (ie, billions of $ of product, or at least 1% of the plastic industry) to happen more often with 3D printing as part of the circular economy?

I have looked at these numbers – we still need a lot more growth in 3DP – this means more printers, more good designs, more trust in them. We are working on AI/machine vision correction of printing errors in real time…that should help. More low cost high quality machines will do – but it looks like most non-chinese firms are moving up the food chain away from prosumers.

My thoughts are: 1. lack of quality curated design repositories, 2. lack of uniform production engineering 3. lack of 3D printers with high-temperature print chamber 4. Lack of reliable filament production/recycling infrastructure knowhow.

1. is a real problem – we need a NPO to set up something equivalent to thingiverse but have it free from all IP and leaching concerns. See my wish list https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:30880

2. hoping the ai/mv work we are doing will address this

3. We have 1 and are building a second to make it more replicable — <$1k

4. This is a major issue — I am now of the mind to move away from filament — when dealing with waste recycling – you essentially have to get 2 things right…the printing and the filament …and the latter is actually really hard with non uniform feedstock….we are moving rapidly to FPF work with re:3D and working on a high T version (3) and a desktop model….

https://www.appropedia.org/Fused_Particle_Fabrication_3-D_Printing:_Recycled_Materials%E2%80%99_Optimization_and_Mechanical_Properties

I’d like to prepare a compelling documentation of 3D printable items for a promo video that shows the full power of 3D printing. Have you curated/created more updated 3D Printable Product lists that you could share?

We have done a lot of examples — it really depends on what market you want to aim at. If you have an idea I can send over anything we have done – -best is to use Yeggi for general ideas. The higher quality designs are normally showcased on the various sites.

What is the best example of an on-demand printing service that you’ve seen that is producing common (not custom) 3d printed consumer objects?

Shapeways is probably the leader in that space.

Here is a boatload of feedback on the article in the media:

Make It Yourself and Save—a Lot—with 3D Printers – MTU News, Nanowerk, Cool 3D printing, Science Codex, Product Design and Development, Innovation Toronto, Space Mart
Study: At-home 3-D printing could save consumers ‘thousands’ – CNN, CBS Channel 3 Memphis
Printing Keychains and Shower Heads: 3-D Printing Goes Beyond the Lab – ABC News ,Yahoo news
A 3-D Printer Can Pay For Itself In Less Than A Year – Popular Science
Study Finds 3D Printers Pay For Themselves In Under a Year – Slashdot
Household 3D Printers Can Pay For Themselves in a Year – Gizmodo
MTU Study: 3D Printing Will Reach The Home Soon – CBS Detroit, Worldnews, Detroit City and Press
3-D Printers could soon be a household items – 97.7 the Wolf
Make It Yourself With a 3-D Printer and Save Big Time – Science Daily, My Science Academy
Economic analysis shows 3-D printing is ready for showtime – Phys.org
3D printing at Michigan Tech– Prototype Today
3D Printers Can Save You Money – Red Orbit, Before it is news
MTU Study: 3D printers may soon be in every home – 3Ders, ewallstreeter, TG Daily, Tech Investor News, 3d Printer Updates
Research : Open-source 3D Printing Economic Implications – CW
Study: Using 3D Printers for Household Products Could Save Hundreds of Dollars – Daily Tech
3D Printing Could Become Mainstream: Make it Yourself to Save (Video) – Science World Reports
Study Predicts Home Use of Additive Manufacturing – Rapid Ready Tech
Households can save big time by using 3D printers for common items – ZME Science
3D printers are ready for prime time – Amtel Corp.
3D printers may soon be in every home – Laboratory Equipment
3D Printers Can Save You Money – ICT Craze
Study: Home 3D printing may bring ‘make it, don’t buy it’ to families – IStockAnalyst
3D Printing at Home: Small Savings Will Add Up – Business News Daily
How to save money by making stuff with 3D printers – Kurzweil
3d Printers Can Already Save Consumers Money – Curious Cat blog
Study Finds Major Savings Through Household 3-D Printing – Txchnologist, Tech Hive
The household economics of 3-D printers – Marginal Revolution
Study Finds 3D Printing Could Save The Average Home Up To $2,000 A Year – Techcrunch
3D printers can pay for themselves in under a year – Computer World
Study: Home 3D printing may bring ‘make it, don’t buy it’ to families – UPI
If you were being ripped off overpaying for iphone docks or are willing to use 3D printed Orthotics then 3D printers can save a lot of money – Next Big Future
Household 3D printers pay for themselves in short order – Boing Boing
printing in the home could save you up to $2000 a year– Personalize
MTU Study About 3D Printers – DIYZilla
3-D printing could save the average home up to $2,000 a year – MSN
You Are Probably Underestimating The Value Of At-Home 3-D Printing – Fast Company
Research in Michigan: 3D printers could save owners a lot of money– M Live
New Study: 3D Printers Will Pay For Themselves in a Year……What Do You Think? – Solid Smack
HouseHold Printers Pay For Themselves In A Year – Byte and Chew
3D Printing at Home: Small Savings Will Add Up – Yahoo News
Manufacturers to Cash in on 3D Printing Savings – Digital Manufacturing Report
Michigan Tech Researcher Claims Personal 3D Printing Could Save Consumers a Bundle Annually – Hot Hardware
Podcast #420 – August 3rd, 2013 -The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe
10 household items that will be far, far cheaper with 3D printing Smart Planet
10 Cool Things 3-D Printers Can Do – Information Week
Michigan Tech Study Says: “The RepRap is an economically attractive investment for the average U.S. household already” – 3D Printing Industry
Want something? Print it – Post Noon
Print These 20 Things You Don’t Really Need And Your 3-D Printer Pays For Itself – Co.Exist
How 3D Printing Will Save You Money – Tom’s Guide
3D printers offer a good return on investment – 3D Printer
A Michigan Tech University Researcher Predicts That a 3D Printer May Soon be in Every Home – Maker Pro Newsletter
Click, print, fire: Grand Rapids startup hits accelerating 3D printed weapons market – M Live,The Ann Arbor News
Consumer 3D printing, affordable, great ROI, and delicious – The Network World
Craving a Midnight Snack? Try Printing Out a Brownie – Fox Business
3-D Printing Comes Home – Reality Times
Pandora’s Box – The American Prospect
Study suggests home 3D printing could save people up to $2k p.a. – Hexus
3D Printing Star Trek Style – Markets Press
Disney sees 3D printer in every home within a decade– 3Ders
The wild & wonderful world of 3D printing – Graphics Art Magazine
Your Household Is Just a Few Years Away from a 3-D Printed Future – Daily Finance
Producing A Revolution – 3D printing opens new avenues for inventions, innovation – Corp Magazine
I printed my robot hand – Junior Scholastic
The 3D Economy – Reason
Formlabs, leaders in desktop 3D printing – TechGen Magazine
Making Ideas Tangible: How 3D Printers Will Transform the Classroom – Singularity Hub
Distributed Manufacturing – The Forum of the Future

5.1 International

in America and the Caribbean

Impresoras 3D permitirían ahorrar dos mil dólares en los hogares, según estudio – NTN24

Canada

3D printers pay for themselves in under a year, study finds – CBC

Spain

Las impresoras 3D, rentables para sus usuarios – El Correo (Spanish for “The Courier”) is the leading daily newspaper in Bilbao and the Basque Country of northern Spain. Its daily circulation, at ~100,000.
Las impresoras 3D, rentables para sus usuarios – Que Es
Las impresoras 3D, rentables para sus usuarios -ABC is a Spanish national daily newspaper – circulation >240,000, Sure es
“Hágalo usted mismo”: impresión 3D para fabricar en casa objetos cotidianos – Tendencias 21

Poland

Drukarka 3D lepsza niż supermarket(3D Printer better than the supermarket) – Money.pl
Drukarka 3D lepsza niż supermarket – Onet.pl (largest Polish webportal)

Japan

Huffington Post Japan

Hungary

3D nyomtató minden otthonban

Austria

So viel Geld lässt sich mit 3D- Druckern sparen – Krone, is Austria’s largest newspaper. According to a Österreichische Media-Analyse study, the average daily readership is 2,970,000.

Netherlands