Readers who have followed my comments on 3D printing know that I think its going to revolutionize manufacturing processes in the course of the coming decade. I imagine inventory being radically reduced and organizations relying, instead, on 3D printing to create just-in-time parts and other inventory items where and when they are needed.
Yesterday, in a newspaper story, I saw a picture of a dress, modeled by Dita von Teese, that was printed from “powered nylon.” So, no need to go to a dress shop anymore. You shop in an online catalog. You find the dress you like and try it on your digital “body image” to see how it looks. If you like the look, you order your digital “pattern.” It arrives at your
3D printer. A special program adjusts the pattern for your dimensions, you choose the color you want, and the printer whips out your dress. (It may be awhile before every home has a 3D printer that can handle printing from nylon power, but there will be a copy shop somewhere in the neighborhood that can handle the job. 3D printing shows are already being set up in major cities, and at least one Silicon Valley firm has set up a 3D printer for employee use, just to get the creative juices flowing among its employees.
Yet another industry totally transformed by the ongoing wave of digitization and by 3D printing.
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