SIX PRINCIPLES OF 3D PRINTING

ONE: COMPLEXITY IS FREE

On a 3D printer, it costs as much to make a simple cube as it does an elaborate and complex object of the same material. This is disruptive since in traditional mass manufacturing, complex geometries (elaborate shapes) cost more to produce in terms of time and skill. Free complexity will disrupt traditional pricing models and change how we calculate the cost of manufacturing things.

TWO: VARIETY IS FREE

Like a human artisan, a single 3D printer can fabricate many different shapes. The intelligence lies in the computer, not in a machinist who must re-tool the way the machine is set up. Free variety reduces the cost of customization and gives a single entrepreneur the ability to create many different types of 3D printed products on a single printer.

THREE: NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

A 3D printer can print a hinge, a bicycle chain or even a nested set of Russian Dolls in a single job, no assembly required. Traditional machines make parts to be assembled. The more parts, the longer it takes to assemble, the longer the supply chain, and the more expensive it becomes to make. Reduced part count saves on assembly, reduces inventory and shortens supply chains.

FOUR: ZERO LEAD TIME

A 3D printer can print on demand when an object is needed. Lead time, the time between a product's conception and its actual manufacture, is a core competitive differentiator. 3D printed, on-the-spot manufacturing will liberate companies from stockpiling physical inventory. Product design will accelerate; custom, on-demand products made in direct response to customer demand will become financially feasible.

FIVE: UNLIMITED DESIGN SPACE

The 3D printing process, since it builds objects layer by layer, is capable of making physical shapes that were once impossible to make. It's simple to 3D print hollow objects, interlocked objects, precise and complex internal structures. With a 3D printer, we can create objects that once only nature could make, opening up vast new design possibilities.

SIX: ZERO-SKILL MANUFACTURING

Traditional manufacturing machines still demand that a skilled expert to adjust and calibrate them. A 3D printer gets most of its guidance from the design file. Once the design file is created, the printer can swing into action immediately. Unskilled manufacturing opens up new business models and could offer new modes of production for people in remote environments.