Has anyone been thinking about the economic impact (specifically as regards urban life) of 3D printing? It seems that we're on the cusp of a new frontier.
I recently read Race Against the Machine. It addresses this. Highly recommended: http://raceagainstthemachine.com/
I'm wondering if anyone can point me to blogs, books, or documentaries that deal with this topic.
I don't think there's any way to figure it out because it's a new thing. It will be a huge effect, which is troubling since the U.S. still has yet to wrap its head around the economic effects of high speed shipping and globalization.
Why would 3D printing change urban life? I am confused. I would imagine that it might change life in general, but not for many years as the cost of materials, etc. will need to come down tremendously.
3D printing is like solar power 20 years ago.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams
Let's see...you can print a gun. You can print whatever you want within the printer's limits (provided you purchase the raw material) and not bother to go to a store, which will affect local sales tax revenue, TPD/VMT, change social cohesion, etc. The gun nuts hereabouts used it to argue against any new gun laws. It's an interesting problem.Originally posted by Hink
Wait until some teenager prints a Selena Gomez or Justin Bieber!
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Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
But rural people could print a gun too. I don't get why urban life would be changed anymore than rural life, or life in general was my point.Let's see...you can print a gun. You can print whatever you want within the printer's limits (provided you purchase the raw material) and not bother to go to a store, which will affect local sales tax revenue, TPD/VMT, change social cohesion, etc. The gun nuts hereabouts used it to argue against any new gun laws. It's an interesting problem.
Wait until some teenager prints a Selena Gomez or Justin Bieber!
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams
Any life in any built environment may change because of what I outlined above. It doesn't have to be confined to urban densities
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Give a man a gun, and he can rob a bank. Give a man a bank, and he can rob the world.
I've read a little about 3-d printing and I maybe naive but I see them to be similar to CNC machines. Both are low enough in cost that you could and can see them in basement and garage workshops. I see them to be similar to machine shops where one-off parts are produce; however, I don't see them as a replacement to traditional manufacturing. I could see them to be useful in prototype work which could decentralize design function from traditional design centers. Also I could see part supply shops using 3-D printing technology to replicate certain parts for autos, appliances, and machinery. I think that copyright laws, product licensing, and designer royalties could be a factor in limiting the use. It's neat technology, but not life changing unless it evolves to the point that cost to print is less than the cost to manufacture. Of course the type of materials that can be printed is limited now to plastics and ceramics so that limits the type of printable parts. It will be interesting to watch it evolve.
Questions have to be asked about the potential mass unemployment that could be driven by the movement into 3D printing if the people in these industries are directly affected (38.8% of employed people). The detraction of labour in industries is not a new argument to be had. In the recent past it as argued that computers were going to drive people out of jobs. Berg & Dalton (1975) argue that the movement towards service sector jobs will create more employment at higher wages and therefore despite the manufacturing sector being diluted, in the case of 3D printing, the sector shift to services will compensate for similarly skilled labour as in the future many see consumers downloading products as they do music today. Generation of wealth brings employment in other areas according to Bowyer (2010).This allows businesses to thrive in the future having been built on a platform that embraces change. Societal impact of this has to be reduced as much as possible and gradual in order to gain public support, however there is trade-off between the speed of diffusion of the innovation and the mobility of labour away from the declining industries if the 3D printing diffuses.
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