The Next Industrial Revolution?

Imagine a car dealership that no longer has to maintain an inventory garage. If a part is needed, the mechanic can simply retrieve a digital file from a database, review its specs, and instantly manufacture what is required using a 3D printer.

THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING…maybe?

The Pietà is a work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, where the statue was moved 200 years after it was created. The original Pietà, of course, cannot be purchased as it is under the ownership of the Vatican. A copy of this statue is available online through a wide variety of companies, and such substitutes range in price from about $60 for a resin substitute to thousands for a fine marble substitute, but I am kind of frugal so I searched for less expensive replicas. This led me to 3D printed options and Thingiverse. The design available on Thingiverse is much smaller than the original that stands 5'9" by 6'5", is carved from a single slab of Carrara marble, and is the only existing statue ever signed by Michelangelo (signed with an "M" in the folds of Mary's garment). As my children's school has recently purchased multiple 3D printers, I intend to discuss the creation/use classification methodology developed by Professor Rindfeisch of the University of Illinois with the teacher in charge of technology. Rindfeisch's work has spurred me to create several valuable lesson plans related to his theory…I guess I just can’t help myself. Regarding the Pietà, I have always admired this statue, and I would love to own a copy. I am going to ask my youngest son if he wants to print my substitute work of art, and we might check out a remote 3D hub to do so. If you don’t own a 3D printer, these hubs are fairly economical and are located all over the world. I am currently exploring not just Thingiverse but also other alternative 3D free design sites (there are plenty out there) for the best design I can find. Clearly, from the preliminary limited research related to the area of 3D printers and commerce (see Wittbrodt, et al 2013; Reeves and Mendis 2015), there will most definitely be a huge impact regarding consumerism because of these printers and their subsequent “offspring.” There are estimates in market report journals that 3D printer sales will be in the billions of dollars for home users by the year 2020. However, one must look at what is practical to print, not just regarding material and energy costs, but also what makes sense for home users. Making your own car at home might be problematic (unless a consumer makes it bit by bit) because of the size issue. Yes, Local Motors made a car and other designers have made full size pieces of furniture and other large scale items, but these are really concept pieces, not practical ones. The home production of more diminutive objects in nature (toys, shoes, jewelry, replacement objects, etc.) will be the norm in a few years...unless a more advanced technology comes along that quickly replaces the 3D printer since it is already a thirty year old “old” technology. At least for the upcoming few years, however, affordable products that offer customization will be what people make on their 3D printers, and this will disrupt product placement, production, and distribution as we know it now. The free items widely available online through Thingiverse or other similar sites are already being looked at by large firms to see how these ideas can be capitalized upon and "privatized." Soon, companies will display their wares either in (limited) physical locations or (more widely) online and consumers will review such placements and purchase digital files instead of making a purchase of an actual manufactured object. I suspect that as the technology continues to grow (it needs to do so regarding color options and material), the raw materials, files, and printers will become more expensive over time with demand. This will be interesting because if the printers actually become more expensive this will totally contradict Moore's Law. I think I will write something larger about this Moore’s Law prediction I have...don't steal my idea!

I'm wondering what schools are doing with this technology. What is your district doing with its 3D printers? Give me a shout and let me know.