This is what President Obama had to say about 3D printing and his plan for the manufacturing sector in his State of the Union address yesterday:
“Last year, we created our first manufacturing innovation institute in Youngstown, Ohio. A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. There’s no reason this can’t happen in other towns. So tonight, I’m announcing the launch of three more of these manufacturing hubs, where businesses will partner with the Departments of Defense and Energy to turn regions left behind by globalization into global centers of high-tech jobs. And I ask this Congress to help create a network of fifteen of these hubs and guarantee that the next revolution in manufacturing is Made in America. If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas.”
Very true. But to get from those ‘best ideas’ to those ‘best products’ is no trivial thing. In today’s consumer market, competition is more fierce than at any time in history. Not only do customers demand higher quality but they demand it at a competitive price. And that’s why 3D printing is such an important component of today’s economic recovery.
Obama’s plan of bringing more manufacturing jobs back to the US is commendable and very necessary - but is it realistic? And how?
Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM) has the potential to re-shape the production line towards greater efficiency and flexibility
This is what 3D printing is about - encouraging excellence in design and ensuring that that excellence is not lost in translation when it reaches the hands of the end user. Without 3D printing this would be a long, tedious and expensive process that few companies would be able to carry through – and something that would be much harder for cash-strapped economies to invest in.
3D printing opens the door to a future of fast, effective quality control resulting in more exciting and more life-changing US made products. And that is the value that it can offer to the US economy and to the global marketplace. It’s no wonder then that Obama is prioritizing the technology for his next term!
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Some ideas to impress Chinese consumers:
Print a rice with a Chinese poem on it
Print an ivory ball with many layers inside and each layer can be turned (also Chinese)
Print Chinese embroidery on a frame in such a way that it looks good from both sides
President Obama along with US gov. knows what a huge impact 3d printing industry have and will have on our lives. I feel comfort to know USA is leading the 3d printing revolution and integrate it in the daily life use. The important thing, and hopefully Obama will remember it, that the same gov that increase invests in 3d printing revolution will have to monitor the ugly side – manufacture of 3d printed weapons, knives, clubs and other dangerous crafts which must be under monitoring.
This is the beginning of another Industrial Revolution which must inevitably have enormous implications on Society.The relentless course of Scientific progress!Our World is ever changing, can we hope to keep up with it.