Will 3-D Printing Rewrite the Book on Manufacturing?Will 3-D Printing Rewrite the Book on Manufacturing?
February 11, 2011
If you're looking for the Next Big Thing, the buzz is continuing to build for 3-D printing. A thoroughly fascinating piece in The Economist suggests that 3-D printing will revolutionize, well, everything, including the device industry.
The article breaks down how 3-D printers could be used to make finished products at a drastically reduced cost and radically increased flexibility. Among several examples given, a company is highlighted that is developing titanium implants that can closely match the physical features of real bone. According to the article, Within Technologies’ femur implant “has strong lattice structures which would encourage the growth of bone onto the implant.”
The article predicts that the ability of companies to cheaply make items to their exact specifications could upend manufacturing as we know it, completely redefining the entire design process. What do you think? Does 3-D printing have the potential to remake the device industry in a fundamental way?
--Thomas Blair
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