Saturday, October 18, 2014 12:30:59 PM
A 3DP, on the other hand, requires none of these things, nor the skill or the labor, it delivers the finished part. So the question facing the user is; several machines and the skills to use them or a 3DP'er. So that's how these printers are going to wind up selling by the score, since there are a large number of people already working with metals in machine shops, repair shops and maintenance room across the globe. My guess is that people will first try the service bureaus to see what kind of quality they can expect on the cheap. Once they're satisfied they will seek to have their own 3DP's. Obviously a mere few hundred machines is hardly going to satisfy a global demand. So, expect these numbers to increase very rapidly at some point in the near future.
In the first ten or so years of the personal computer, when installing and running programs became as easy as pointing and clicking, sales went from a paltry few dozen to thousands, as offices learned how much time and effort, was cut from preparing documents and retrieving data, and the storage of files. So many man hours and expenses were cut from the data handling stream, that no one could be competitive using the old manual systems. Of course, the "old manual systems" were comprised of tens of thousands of typists, ten key adding machines and huge pools of skilled operators. The computer rapidly shrank those pools and the expenses that went with them.
While 3DP is going to actually grow the number of people who are capable of producing objects and parts. So, use may not grow as quickly as the computer did, because the computer was cutting cost already in place. 3DP will gradually make more people aware that they can make parts and things, without so many skills and so much expensive equipment.
Meanwhile the industrial outfits need to get ahead of the curve, or see themselves fall victim to a spreading entrepreneurial environment that will first remove the easy work from their balance sheets. So they must discover ahead of the public, what work they will still be needed to do, and plan to shed the work that anyone will be able to do.
So, it's a long road ahead, but the upward curve will very rapidly grow steeper and steeper for quite some time to come. In these early years the word "competition" means little to nothing.
Recent DDD News
- 3D Systems Receives FDA Clearance for First-to-Market Multi-material, Monolithic Jetted Denture Solution • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 09/17/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/13/2024 08:09:32 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/13/2024 08:05:55 PM
- 3D Systems Expands Orthopedic Surgical Planning Portfolio Receiving FDA Clearance for Key Ankle Indications • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 09/11/2024 12:30:00 PM
- 3D Systems Announces Significant Milestone in Commercialization of Oqton Manufacturing OS • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 09/09/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Palantir Technologies, Dell Technologies, and Erie Indemnity Set to Join S&P 500; Others to Join S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600 • PR Newswire (US) • 09/06/2024 10:43:00 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 09:24:49 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 09:07:06 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 08:57:15 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 08:44:14 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 08:22:13 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 08:20:06 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/04/2024 08:18:44 PM
- 3D Systems Expands High Precision Investment Casting Portfolio with QuickCast Air™ • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 09/04/2024 12:30:00 PM
- Form 4 - Statement of changes in beneficial ownership of securities • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/03/2024 08:27:23 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 09/03/2024 08:26:59 PM
- Dell Stock Rises 6% Premarket on Strong Revenue Beat, Elastic Shares Plunge 27% After Lowering Revenue Forecasts • IH Market News • 08/30/2024 10:00:15 AM
- 3D Systems Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 08/29/2024 08:02:00 PM
- U.S. Futures Rise; Oil Prices Dip Amid Libyan Supply Concerns and Inventory Drop • IH Market News • 08/29/2024 10:11:58 AM
- 3D Systems Reports First Quarter 2024 Financial Results • GlobeNewswire Inc. • 08/20/2024 08:17:44 PM
- Form ARS - Annual Report to Security Holders • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/13/2024 09:17:05 PM
- Form DEF 14A - Other definitive proxy statements • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/13/2024 09:11:39 PM
- Form 8-K/A - Current report: [Amend] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/13/2024 09:03:55 PM
- Form 10-K - Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405] • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/13/2024 08:55:51 PM
- Form 8-K - Current report • Edgar (US Regulatory) • 08/13/2024 08:49:30 PM
VHAI - Vocodia Partners with Leading Political Super PACs to Revolutionize Fundraising Efforts • VHAI • Sep 19, 2024 11:48 AM
Dear Cashmere Group Holding Co. AKA Swifty Global Signs Binding Letter of Intent to be Acquired by Signing Day Sports • DRCR • Sep 19, 2024 10:26 AM
HealthLynked Launches Virtual Urgent Care Through Partnership with Lyric Health. • HLYK • Sep 19, 2024 8:00 AM
Element79 Gold Corp. Appoints Kevin Arias as Advisor to the Board of Directors, Strengthening Strategic Leadership • ELMGF • Sep 18, 2024 10:29 AM
Mawson Finland Limited Further Expands the Known Mineralized Zones at Rajapalot: Palokas step-out drills 7 metres @ 9.1 g/t gold & 706 ppm cobalt • MFL • Sep 17, 2024 9:02 AM
PickleJar Announces Integration With OptCulture to Deliver Holistic Fan Experiences at Venue Point of Sale • PKLE • Sep 17, 2024 8:00 AM