The way this looks like now (in the United States additive manufacturing industry) is that people, Zapier, and bits of scripting glue form the automation layer

The way this looks like now (in the United States additive manufacturing industry) is that people, Zapier, and bits of scripting glue form the automation layer in most shops. This is really important, because labor costs so much more in the US compared to other manufacturing centers. Companies that have attempted to achieve 100% automation (like YC-backed Voodoo Manufacturing) have gone out of business, because you still need people to run floor operations, do sales, handle customer accounts. What's important is to give a few generalists no-code tools, so a machine technician can quickly iterate on a model without sending it back to a CAD designer. Here's one of my favorite examples of a 3D printing operation in the United States, if you're curious what these businesses look like. Kason Knight started iSolids with a 3D printer in a spare linen closet. He's now running a ~10 person operation out of a warehouse in Texas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPcA9uIgi7g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPcA9uIgi7g Edited: typo