Editor’s note: This article was first published in March 2013; the stock gains it cites for the previous year (3D Systems 97%, Stratasys 530%, Proto Labs 61%) and the idea that consumer 3D printers were still to come reflect that moment.
Many industries will benefit from 3D printers. Thanks to these printers, major advances will be made, even in science, that were unthinkable until now: to take just one example, a 3D printer can reproduce a lung, a kidney and practically any organ in the body. They are also controversial, because they make it easy to manufacture weapons in your own home. You can make as many original products as you can think of.
This is without doubt a great advance, and it has only just begun. The 3 biggest 3D printer companies (3D Systems Corporation, Stratasys, Ltd and Proto Labs) have seen dizzying gains on the stock market over the past year (97%, 530% and 61% respectively). The market clearly expects them to be part of the future of the new industrial revolution. But… the winner in this market will be the company that makes 3D printers for consumers, which in time will be available at a very reasonable price. They are the industrial revolution, but at the same time the devil for industry in general.
The dangers these printers pose for consumption are truly worrying, because with a 3D printer you probably won’t need to buy many of the products you buy today.
The printers have been designed to work with different materials, including plastic, ceramics, silver, steel and even stem cells. So, what can we do with 3D printers?
The company MakerBot has developed 3D printers for researchers, designers, engineers and consumers who want to make their own products, and above all it has developed software specifically for the DIY market.
Do you need a lamp, want to give your child a doll or a toy, or need a picture frame? Don’t buy it. Go to websites where thousands of users share templates for making all kinds of objects. A lamp, for example, is something anyone can make at home. In other words, if you have a shop, you could mass-produce lamps like that from your own home and sell them to the public. And if lamps, then glasses, toys and anything else you can think of.
The costume jewellery and jewellery trade will find it very easy to create pieces from the designs they imagine, since a design can be produced in silver, bronze, gold…
The actress Dita Von Teese has worn a dress made with a 3D printer; it was produced in 4 parts that were then joined together. A US company has also made a bikini with a 3D printer, using Nylon 12, a waterproof material.
These printers will let fashion design enthusiasts produce their designs quickly.
Sculptures, infrastructure and art are also within reach of large 3D printers, as there are companies building concrete structures.
As we can see, a new change is coming that could fuel the “do it yourself” movement and, to some extent, slow down consumption in certain industries. For 3D printer companies, though, this industrial revolution will be a very profitable business. Of that there is no doubt.
Further reading
- 4 business ideas as simple as they are brilliant
- Businesses that work during a recession
- 7 crowdfunding platforms to get your projects off the ground
Featured image: Jared Tarbell, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
