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You're mistaking what home 3d printing is now to what home 3d printing will be in 10-20 years. Technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering and the like can u

You're mistaking what home 3d printing is now to what home 3d printing will be in 10-20 years. Technologies such as Selective Laser Sintering and the like can use a much more versatile set of materials, such as metal and ceramic, to create a wider range of products. Also, 3d printers can use non-petroleum based plastics, like Polylactic Acid, which are renewable. Yes, much like the microwave didn't replace the conventional oven, 3d printing isn't going to totally destroy retail. It is, however, going to make things a lot more interesting.

wlievens 13y ago
Even twenty years from now people will not have clean rooms in their garage so 3d printing electronics at home will not happen I guess.
- georgemcbay 13y ago
  I do all sorts of shit with electronics at home that wouldn't fly in a manufacturing environment; don't bother with grounding, handle static-sensitive equipment while gliding across a rug, etc. When you're printing or prototyping one-offs for your own use the same rules about quality environments don't really apply. All that aside even in situations where you truly need things to really be clean you don't need an actual clean room, just a 3d printer with a "clean" enclosure within the build volume area.
  - greenyoda 13y ago
    Still, fabricating a chip whose feature size is measured in nanometers takes much more sophisticated equipment than a 3d printer[1] (not to mention some very toxic chemicals that would probably be illegal to use in residential areas[2]). You might be able to make a replica of a 1970s vintage chip at home, but not a modern microprocessor. And you could never make one cheaper than Intel could, with their economies of scale. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_device_fabrication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_device_fabricati... [2] http://www.globalarcade.org/sv/chemical.html http://www.globalarcade.org/sv/chemical.html
    - wlievens 13y ago
      Thanks for highlighting this. I was speaking from the image sensor angle but it's probably true for most high performance electronics.
_delirium 13y ago
I think the bigger point though, is that even if it did totally destroy retail, retail just isn't a very big part of the U.S. economy: 6% of GDP. And some of that is not even selling physical goods to begin with: Amazon selling Kindle books is part of the retail sector. Manufacturing is bigger, but still not huge: ~12% of the economy. And manufacturing of things that end up in consumer homes and therefore potentially subject to people saying "screw this, I'll make it myself" is a relatively small fraction of that. So while I think 3d printing is interesting, I don't think it's going to result in the end of the the existence of corporations as everyone stops doing business with them and DIY's their every need, as this article seems to envision.
- greenyoda 13y ago
  And most of retail is probably stuff like clothing and shoes and electronics, not plastic bowls. I just don't see home-printed items having a large impact of on employment the retail sector in the near future. As far as manufacturing is concerned, most plastic household items haven't been manufactured in the U.S. for a long time.

wlievens 13y ago

Even twenty years from now people will not have clean rooms in their garage so 3d printing electronics at home will not happen I guess.

georgemcbay 13y ago
I do all sorts of shit with electronics at home that wouldn't fly in a manufacturing environment; don't bother with grounding, handle static-sensitive equipment while gliding across a rug, etc. When you're printing or prototyping one-offs for your own use the same rules about quality environments don't really apply. All that aside even in situations where you truly need things to really be clean you don't need an actual clean room, just a 3d printer with a "clean" enclosure within the build volume area.
- greenyoda 13y ago
  Still, fabricating a chip whose feature size is measured in nanometers takes much more sophisticated equipment than a 3d printer[1] (not to mention some very toxic chemicals that would probably be illegal to use in residential areas[2]). You might be able to make a replica of a 1970s vintage chip at home, but not a modern microprocessor. And you could never make one cheaper than Intel could, with their economies of scale. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_device_fabrication https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_device_fabricati... [2] http://www.globalarcade.org/sv/chemical.html http://www.globalarcade.org/sv/chemical.html
  - wlievens 13y ago
    Thanks for highlighting this. I was speaking from the image sensor angle but it's probably true for most high performance electronics.

_delirium 13y ago

I think the bigger point though, is that even if it did totally destroy retail, retail just isn't a very big part of the U.S. economy: 6% of GDP. And some of that is not even selling physical goods to begin with: Amazon selling Kindle books is part of the retail sector. Manufacturing is bigger, but still not huge: ~12% of the economy. And manufacturing of things that end up in consumer homes and therefore potentially subject to people saying "screw this, I'll make it myself" is a relatively small fraction of that. So while I think 3d printing is interesting, I don't think it's going to result in the end of the the existence of corporations as everyone stops doing business with them and DIY's their every need, as this article seems to envision.

greenyoda 13y ago
And most of retail is probably stuff like clothing and shoes and electronics, not plastic bowls. I just don't see home-printed items having a large impact of on employment the retail sector in the near future. As far as manufacturing is concerned, most plastic household items haven't been manufactured in the U.S. for a long time.