Art & Technology #5: 3D Printing

3D printing is accepted as an innovative technology and not just a new manufacturing tool due to its process of digitization. Designs for 3D printing are produced on computer-aided design software, then the digital file shared through the Internet and finally manufactured through a 3D printer. This technology is expected to precipitate fundamental changes in the industry structure; from the agent of manufacturing and along the entire value chain, including production, distribution and consumption. The media industry recently went through a similar change. The digitization of media content brought rise to digital outlets such as social networking services and web portals, changing the way we read, write and see. Similarly, objects on the web are co-designed and manufactured through a cloud 1)-based factory. The core value shifts from productivity to creativity, heralding a tectonic shift which may very well be the third industrial revolution.

1) “Cloud” was coined after the standardized cloud-like shape used to denote a service provider’s network, and the word signifies ‘a service provider’s server.’ Software and data are stored on a mainframe connected to the Internet, making them available wherever there is Internet connectivity.

The appearance of the cotton mill in the late 18th century mechanized the textile industry and brought on the first industrial revolution. Ford’s conveyor belt in the early 20thcentury opened an era of mass production and heralded the second industrial revolution. The third industrial revolution will be brought on by 3D printing,which will digitize manufacturing and usher in an age of mass customization. 3D printing is changing the paradigm from mass production to customized production. In the past, the driving force of manufacturing industries had been a combination of large capital, cheap labor and physical infrastructure, but in the future, innovation, customer convenience, and research and development will become the key factors. 3D printing will also affect employment structures and the dynamics of the global industry. It will increase the demand for highly qualified workers, differentiated from existing low-income manufacturing positions, and lead to the creation of quality jobs. These changes will be an opportunity for advanced economic markets to reclaim manufacturing supremacy currently focused on the lower-income economies. The technology is expected to “re-shore” corporations that had once gone offshore, creating employment opportunities in the new high-tech industry. To this end, the United States, Europe, China and Japan have been involved at the government level to actively foster a 3D printing industry.

To the existing manufacturing industry, 3D printing will provide new opportunities to leap forward. To software and Internet service industries, the technology will provide opportunities to hike profitability in conjunction with manufacturing capabilities. New markets will be found through the demands that follow in fields like medical care, education and entertainment, with advantageous opportunities for startup businesses to easily leverage innovative ideas. The 3D printer manufacturing market is forecasted to grow into a US$3 billion industry by 2020, but taking into account the secondary services and the sales of goods created through 3D printing, the market environment created may actually be about 4 to 5 times greater. Moreover, creating related Internet businesses such as 3D CAD software and design exchange markets, and the promotion of added-value 3D printing, will maximize growth potential. Creating an ecosystem for 3D printing that encompasses design, manufacturing and sales has become an essential factor to invigorating the overall industry. Today’s technology will reshape your tomorrow.