BBC: “3D Printing Is Not Going To Change The World”

By on May 31st, 2013 in coverage, Ideas

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BBC correspondent Peter Day says “3D printing is not—according to one of the prophets of the new personal manufacturing age—going to change the world on its own” in a recent piece. 
 
His notion parallels our thinking, and by extension, the thought process everyone must go through. It’s something like this: 
 
  1. Wow! 3D Printing is amazing and can make anything! 
  2. Oh wait, it can’t actually make literally anything. Bummer. 
  3. But it can make many interesting things. Hmm.
  4. If I can make things with a 3D printer, I can make them with other tools, too. 
 
Day spoke with MIT’s Neil Gershenfeld, the inventor of the FABLAB concept, which spurred the idea of personal making. He says: 
 
Nevertheless, something is up. Professor Gershenfeld says that it’s the suite of digital machines that in his words “blows up industry”.
 
Just as personal computing transformed the computer industry, so many manufacturing corporations are going to be shoved aside by the personalisation of fabrication, by individualised goods.
 
Yes, you CAN make things. 
 
Do it. And change the world. 
 
Via BBC

By Kerry Stevenson

Kerry Stevenson, aka "General Fabb" has written over 8,000 stories on 3D printing at Fabbaloo since he launched the venture in 2007, with an intention to promote and grow the incredible technology of 3D printing across the world. So far, it seems to be working!