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    <title><![CDATA[Discussion on 3D printing may put global supply chains out of business: report ]]></title>
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    <lastBuildDate>2013-05-21T23:33:46-07:00</lastBuildDate>
             

    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Empowering 3D Printing:  The Digital Matter-Net]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-81147]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I believe that the full potential of 3D Printing will be realized through NETWORKING devices, much like the internet unlocked the full power of computers.  The future of manufacturing lies in the development of what I call the Digital Matter-Net. We need a system to &quot;digitize&quot; matter...that is to turn it into discrete nano-particles...and then transport them over high-speed channels to a 3D Printer in the same way that information gets sent to a computer over the internet.  I have created a blog and am trying to start an open design project for this technology at:  digitalmatternet.wordpress.com.  If you are interested, please check it out.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-81147]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[wbaltzley]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:46:13 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[New ideas come with new processes]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80750]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I believe that those who do not think 3-D Printing is a future changer, think that because they are thinking about it using conventional ideology. I do not think 3-D printing is met to meet the demands of mass production and is instead will be used to provide unigue individual products. My thought is that if you need a part for an item that is no longer on the market you would go to your local print shop and have the part printed out. I remember the story of a man who's shower curtain hook had broken. He really liked the design but the style was no longer being produced so he printed out a new one to match his set. The idea of 3-D printing moves away from mass production and the mass waste it creates. 3-D printing is less about global scale production and more about community level production. It's utilization will be a different way of perceiving the market. If you think about 2-D printing and that it was done on mass productions from larger warehouse print shops where thousands of copies of the same item were being produces and then came the small neighborhood shops where one person could come in and have one copy made, that was a marketing change. These small shops functioned to provide service on a small scale and the large mega printshops continued to produces printing on the global scale. One did not destroy the other because the services are for a different targeted market.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80750]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[the5thline]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:12:06 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Opportunities for the Logistics Services]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80693]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The impact of 3D printing could be enormous to the supply chain. However as noted in a recent TMC blog (see link below) it wont make global supply chains obsolete, it will just shift where certain products are produced and manufactured. This quote highlights this shift But 3D printing also opens up tremendous opportunities for the logistics services business. Feedstock for the machines such as plastic pellets and metal powder will have to be delivered. And the technology could accelerate the growth in online orders since its low entry barriers will likely encourage legions of new manufacturing entrepreneurs. It should be an exciting time to be in logistics. http://www.mytmc.com/Blog/post/2012/06/21/Hot-Off-the-Press.aspx]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80693]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Greg Riemer]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:07:38 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[3d materials and computing 2012]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80618]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[There is also need for a 3d scanner to go with. Maybe we can produce different chemical, biological matter out of sand and seawater. 3d printing is future for some small group. Reality for life is the maintenance of biodiversity on earth, Neo and ancient are made of the same kind of matter with different sequence. The clue is, everything is already here but everything is too much for a individual-human lifespan, Next generations will have to decide what are important tools for their time beng. Have a candy.....]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80618]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Elrandy]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:26:46 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Neither Hot nor Cold on This One]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80638]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I've looked closely at 3D printing closely and, while it's a great tool, it's only a tool. First, many materials (e.g. many plastics) can't be printed at all, or easily. This cuts down the choices considerably. Second, 3D printing is quite slow compared to, say, injection molding or stamping. It's a great prototyping tool, and it will create the ability to do limited runs or 'one off's' that can't be done economically otherwise. You can also potentially reduce parts counts and shape parts that can't be made in other ways. These are exciting new applications that will create new businesses and products. But, I can't see mass disruption of most goods - ever. Also, if it's so good and inexpensive, every country will have these tools so the playing field will still be wide-open.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80638]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[msds]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:56:24 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[On the road to Tea. Earl grey. Hot.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80593]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[On the road to Tea. Earl grey. Hot.Get over it and enjoy the transformation.And to all those wrapped in the perpetual pursuit of wealth: You are doomed to the museum of obsolete thinking.Good riddance.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80593]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chaos Dynamics]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:27:06 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[3D printing ability will grow factorially]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80576]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[3D printing technology will grow factorially. In the same sense that computer power and speed has grown exponentially over the past 40 years, 3D printing takes on a whole new speed of development. These machines are capable of reproducing themselves with improvement at each step. The growth will not be exponential, but follow the curve of a factorial. If the technology can be developed to use the printheads at high temperatures, there is nothing these machines cannot do. We will see the results very quickly.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80576]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Arctic Char]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:42:51 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[3-D Printing]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80546]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[I agree with most of what you wrote.  3-D printing is in its infancy and there are limited things that can be printed as objects at this time.  It will take more time to improve the process and make it both quicker and also use a wider variety of materials.  What is driving 3-D printing is the ability to make quick prototypes and the do it yourself movement.  This is where the idea of a neighborhood 3-D printing comes into play; a business called The Tech Shop is a place where people can learn to use 3-D printers and other equipment that is available for members to use for their projects.  This model supports a range of expertise from the hobbyist to those who are developing products.  The equipment ranges from table saws and shapers to laser cutters and 3-D printers.  There are other places similar to the Tech Shop that cater to the public.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80546]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[sboverie]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:11:04 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Basic economics says &quot;No&quot; to 3D printing effectiing mass production.]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80542]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[The lack of basic economic knowledge, 3-D printing process knowledge, and resulting 3D printing growth projections is - &quot;incredible&quot; in every sense.&quot; Most especially if you mean (which I do)not having any credibility.&quot; It's true that 3D printing will undoubted affect tool, die, and mold making dramatically and probably is - as we discuss. However, mass production manufacturing processes, not so much. First 3D printing is limited economically not only by a very limited number of economically feasible material options, but even more so by the sheer number of print heads required for significant production output to be comparable with - for example injection molding. In addition, there is the time to produce each piece considering the thousands if not millions of print head passes required for each piece equals limited economic scalability (except for very high margin items where injection molding is less capable). The time/cost competition with other manufacturing processes such as injection molding (current primary component manufacturing process) is likely very limited for 3-D printing. Process economic considerations must also consider the highly mechanical nature of the 3-D printing process. Think of the avg. life of your computer printer - because they are basically similar mechanically. Even in with exceptional material engineering, 3-D printers will require high levels of maintenance to maintain calibration and accuracy to maintain their very precise printing logistic processes. In mass production environments with the printers (many, many printers) running essentially full time, their maintenance levels would be exorbitantly expensive compared to other current mass production processes and only competitive for limited applications - again, such as making molds which require comparatively low production numbers, but very high costs. Consequently, economically - it isn't likely that 3D printing will ever compete with injection molding of components just from the time/money and energy requirements - though it will certainly reduce the costs and skilled jobs required currently to produce the injection molds required by many manufacturing industries that use large quantities on mono-material components (plastics) - electronics, automotive, furniture, etc. As far as neighborhood printing - show me the necessary numbers of applications for economic feasibility to operate neighborhood printer franchises and I'll believe it. Until then, it sounds more like social utopia-ism in economic denial shouting, &quot;It takes a village to make economic scale.&quot; Generally, for most manufacturing you need far more than a village for economic scale and except for expensive one off items, 3-D printing is subject to the same economics of scale.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80542]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[dduggerbiocepts]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:40:34 -0700</pubDate>
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    <item>
        <title><![CDATA[Neighborhood Production AND Neighborhood Sharing]]></title>
        <link><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80534]]></link>
        <description><![CDATA[Most of these 3D printers are going to be neighborhood level devices rather than home brew devices.  Combine that with neighborhood Autonomous Internet and a new culture of sharing (economic &quot;growth&quot; that ignores true costs is toxic), and I believe we will also see a dramatic decline in consumer demand.,  It may be that the global economic metldown caused by Wall Street and unethical corporate chiefs was precisely the catalyst needed to demonstrate that we neither need nor want 90% of the crap we are sold and are stupid enough to buy.]]></description>
        <guid><![CDATA[http://www.smartplanet.com/forum/discussions/1-12059-80534]]></guid>
        <dc:creator><![CDATA[Robert Davud STEELE Vivas]]></dc:creator>
        <pubDate>Wed, 10 Oct 2012 08:01:53 -0700</pubDate>
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