3D-Printers: Toys or Real Tools for Business?
This question receives an answer that is about as complex as the question itself because these 3D printers are both toys and business tools (PR Newswire 2012). With printing and other reproduction tasks such as photocopying and scanning, the goal has always been to ease the cost, time, and effort of traditional reproduction, which is unnecessarily tedious.
Before the advent of printers, photocopiers, and scanners among others, people would have to hand copy texts regardless of the large volumes of the tomes in the day. Added to the fact that very few people were literate or could write at the time, it is no wonder that artistes and authors were very revered. The effect of the technological revolution as far as printing is concerned is the increased efficiency of production in terms of time and expenses (Bulkeley 2006). Whereas initially one would have to commission a copier to do a volume and that would perhaps take at least a month, today one can easily print or photocopy an existing volume within a very short period.
Consequently, there is an element of relevance to the advancement in information technology, which makes 3D printers relevant to this day and age given the manner of business transaction and with particular emphasis on the internationalisation of the economies (Lee 2012). There are so many multinational companies coupled with forms that tend to have a centralised manufacturing or production base and this aspect is often situated in high population nations like China. Apple Inc. is a good example of this phenomenon. The reason for this arrangement is that such companies are looking to capture the workforce available in such nations. However, the think tank of such firms is usually based in the country that hosts their headquarters, just as Steve Jobs was based in the United States. In this context, 3D printers could come in very handy in two possible ways because first, the designer could easily print a 3D version of the design for exactness in relaying the information about what he or she wants to be mass-produced. Secondly, it could reduce the cost of production for the replicable elements of the design, which means business growth in terms of profits generated (Bulkeley 2006).
However, as it may have become apparent, these 3D printers can easily generate ethical and business challenges and particular emphasis shall be laid on the attached Intellectual Property protection issues that arise. One of the most common usages for these printers is in the production of action figures by children and sometimes even the youth, who want to make replicas of action super heroes such as the Spiderman or the Ironman, but with the benefits of photo-shop and so such figures would resemble the client, albeit in costume (Johnson 2012). This figure is the only toy element of these 3D printers.
3D Printing Benefits and Challenges for Global Companies
Benefits
The 3D printers’ researchers and experts indicate that these objects cannot replicate semiconductors or metal screws and bolts and this scenario is only reasonable (PR Newswire 2010). However, they can print almost anything else including model skulls of patients’ heads for surgeons to work on as templates while making metal plates. Also, they can print plastic legs and hands to be used by people who have disabilities or who have been amputated and they can print 3D plans of the house and building plans for use by architects to show how the house shall look in the end. Finally, they can also print prototypes for use by engineers when describing to their clients what they intend to construct (Johnson 2012).
Consequently, most global companies could greatly benefit from these printers especially in terms of reduced labour requirements. Whereas now these companies require hiring local staff to implement the manufacturing of their products, with 3D printers, most of these parts shall be printable and only basic elements shall require manual production and assembling. Secondly, the time for production shall be greatly reduced because as experts continue to work on the design and efficiency of these printers, they continue to become faster in their workability (Seitz 2013). Consequently, shortly, it shall take the average time taken to print out a page to print out a 3-dimensional model of a house plan. However, this aspect could be problematic on many levels.
Challenges
First, innovation is going to suffer a great blow. With the advent of 3D printing, the entire manufacturing process that is required to achieve at a final object such as a pen or a cell phone shall be eradicated. All the various levels of manufacturing shall be reduced to a maximum of four hours in a tiny machine and the product is out. Although this ease in manufacturing shall probably reduce the cost of such goods, it shall also cost people their employment options as what now requires at least a hundred men per shift to produce shall only require ten or less to assemble the printed parts (The Economist 2013).
A second challenge shall be the infiltration of the market with dummies and prototypes of the real objects or products. Since now these printers can make jewellery, the novelty that is currently enjoyed by the owners of a rare piece of jewellery shall dwindle and eventually die off completely. The same applies for shoes and other taste-and-cost particular items. This scenario will cause a paradigm shift for such affected industries and raise myriad cases in intellectual property rights.
Currently, artistes are still reeling from the blow that they suffer due to piracy. With the advent of 3D printing on a large scale, even more items shall become imitable and this element shall cause legal and ethical complications. One way that 3D printing is currently being used is in the making of specialised parts (Bulkeley 2006). The army is currently researching into the workability of this type of printing, which involves the use of metal powder in making replacements for broken airplanes and tanks. This trial is a good example of how airplane and tank manufacturers shall easily be kicked out of business and in essence, it is a worrying thought to imagine how much power one would wield if he or she owned such a printer.
What is even more shocking is that now engineers are manufacturing 3D printers that can replicate themselves (Pilsner 2008). This trend is worrying because soon enough, the business owners themselves shall be out of business and these printers shall flood the market. What this observation means is that whereas now one-printer sells for $20,000 to $100000, shortly these prices shall drop to hundreds or even tens of dollars.
Interestingly, 3D printing shall majorly affect the product industry and not the service industry. This aspect is a reflection of what the global economy has become, as it seems to be shifting from production into service. In a century, this age may be viewed as the revolution of the service industry because production is becoming less relevant as technological advances provide a replacement for people in the production industry. This aspect makes the 3D printing an avenue that should be closely regulated by the government and policy makers to ensure that they do not completely wipe out the workforce (which breeds ingenuity) that is involved in physical production levels during manufacturing. Such a move would mean that humanity gets a raw deal because it shall have been cheated of the opportunity to be innovative as well as a chance to earn income.
Conclusion
3D printers are an innovative creation, but they threaten the same innovation that led to their existence by replacing an entire system of production, which is what industrialisation is based on. Not only do they threaten innovation, but also employment opportunities because they could easily replace the hired help at various manufacturing firms, especially when considering that even motor vehicle parts can now be printed. They also threaten to open the floodgates for litigation over breached intellectual property rights and in summary, they are bound to cause more harm than good if their use and the relevant authorities do not regulate production.
Reference List
PR Newswire: Objet Geometries and Javelin Technologies Form Strategic Distribution Partnership for 3D Printers: The new partnership with Javelin, a leading SolidWorks value-added reseller, strengthens Objet’s reach in Canadian market 2010, Web.
Johnson, A 2012, 3D printers a boom for designers, Web.
Seitz, P 2013, Product-Making 3D Printers Grab Limelight At CES Show 3D Systems Eyes Own Retail, Web.
The Economist: A new brick in the Great Wall; 3D printing, Web.
Bulkeley, W 2006, ‘Printers Reshape World of Copying’, Wall Street Journal, B.1.
PR Newswire: Objet Divulges 3D Printing Insights at Materialise World Conference 2012, Web.
Lee, R 2012, ‘Printing Evolves: An Inkjet for Living Tissue‘, Wall Street Journal(Online), Web.
Pilsner, D 2008, I’m very enthusiastic about the future of this industry, Web.