Home 3D Printing
I did a brief stint at an amazing 3D printing company a few years ago. The technology they were working on then was amazing and checking back, there is even more wonderful things that are being released.
About 10 years ago, Kickstarter was flood with cheap 3D printers. A few of them survived, one went on to become a unicorn. The thought at the time was that every home would have at least one 3D printer and it would spell the end of the dollar or part stores.
That hasn’t happened yet and I’m not certain the home 3D printer resolution is going to happen any time soon, or at all. Instead, the revolution is happened in other areas — medical procedures, dental offices, and soon, car maintenance.
It will be the plumber, electrician, installer, and others who have access to these tools that will lead to a reduction in the waiting time for a highly specialized part to come in. Metal and high performance plastics will make the parts almost immediately usable after printing. There is still a workflow around the printing that needs to be implemented and there’s innovation to happen here but once it’s taken route, mechanical systems will have a near infinite longevity with every part being replaceable.
