Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
prowess by 3D printing sample airplane machine parts in a speciied time frame.
The manufacturing network stress-tested his sample parts and they performed well.
After some negotiation on proit margins and manufacturing capacity, his business
was admitted into the network.
Finally, the day winds down. Your son likes his bedtime routine in which he
brushes his teeth and you tell him a story once he's in bed. Tonight you discover
that, as usual, his toothbrush has somehow gone missing. He thinks he may have
left it at his friend's house yesterday. You could run to the store to buy a new one,
but there's an easier way.
You boot up your home Fabber and let your son eagerly scroll through sev-
eral different toothbrush designs. Several different companies sell designs on the
Fabber but your son already knows he wants a zBrush—still a bargain at 99 cents.
Your son likes the fact that there are several different cartoon igures offered for
the toothbrush handle. You authorize his purchase and scan your son's custom
measurements—the size of his hand and shape of his open mouth—with a small
wand attached to the Fabber.
The Fabber starts printing. On its glowing screen a list of design credits scrolls
past that resembles those of a movie—from the designer of the toothbrush program
to the company that owns the copyrights of the designs for the cartoon igures. The
new toothbrush will be ready for use in 15 minutes.
As the Fabber prints you tell your son his bedtime story. It's about the old days,
one of those “when I was your age” tales. Your son listens skeptically. He has a
hard time believing that when you were young, each toothbrush looked alike. If
you ordered something from the Internet it took forever—24 hours—until it was
delivered to the door.
“Wow,” he says politely. “Life must have been hard back then.”
