Print Me A Sandwich!
from the star-trek-reality dept
Mark writes "I read this on New Scientist, and I think there's some potential for serious ramlifications here. What it boils down to is that there's been a lot of progress in 3D printing lately. I know that Chrysler has been using stereolithography stuff for a while, and I saw a miniature milling machine turning AutoCAD drawings into prototypes a couple of years ago. But this article discusses the possibility of using these devices to manufacture, or maybe even distribute finished goods. This would seriously mess with the economic geography and location theory analysis for any type of manufacturing firm. Plus, what if there were a "Napster" for downloadable print files! Company X designs a new toy, which is then distributed via 3D printer. Someone rips the print file and shares it, now every kid on the block has one. Yipes! Still years off and with some obvious technical and economic hurdles, but there don't seem to be any theoretical barriers, so it's mostly a question of time."
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