Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Mass production can't offer both companies and consumers good, fast and
cheap goods. How about artisan production? Skilled artisans make custom
products in small batches—no assembly line or investments in a factory loor
needed. Artisans don't hire teams of skilled designers, engineers and techni-
cians. If a design concept proves to be fatally lawed after it's rendered in
physical form, an artisan may have to absorb the cost of wasted materials.
However, since only one faulty product was created, an artisan can quickly edit
the original design without having to deal with the inancial consequences of
throwing away hundreds (or thousands) of mistakes. The downside of artisan
production is that it doesn't scale.
Somewhere between mass production and
the local farmer's market
Mass production is eficient, increasing company proits and lowering con-
sumer prices. Yet economies of scale take a toll on product variety and cus-
tomization. In contrast, artisan production handles variety and customization
with ease, yet output is conined to small batches. 3D printing technologies
offer a new path forward by blending aspects of mass and artisan production.
When the platypus was irst discovered, explorers thought it was a hoax,
that a prankster had somehow stitched together a furry animal with a duck's
bill, webbed feet and a kangaroo's pouch. 3D printing is the platypus of the
manufacturing world, combining the digital precision and repeatability of a
factory loor with an artisan's design freedom.
Like a factory machine, a 3D printer is automated. A digital design ile
guides it through its paces. The design ile succinctly captures instructions
for the manufacture of a particular product. This knowledge can be saved or
emailed anywhere.
Like a human artisan, a 3D printer is versatile. A printer can fabricate a
broad variety of different types of objects without incurring signiicant upfront
investment. On a 3D printer it costs the same amount of money to 3D print
1,000 unique products or 1,000 identical products. The cost of customization
nearly disappears.
Despite these advantages, 3D printed manufacturing offers no economies
of scale. Like any extreme personality characteristic, the fact that 3D printing
fails to provide economies of scale is both its biggest weakness, but also its
biggest strength. Harnessing economies of scale is critical to a company whose
