8ReasonsWhyProductDevelopmentWillNever BetheSameAgain And 5 Ways 3D Printing is Responding

BasedonapresentationbyDr.PhilReevesfromEconolyst,atthe ObjetPressEvent,EuroMold2011 March2012,ObjetLtd.

ChangesInfluencingtheUseof3DPrinting
Thereareanumberofimportantchangestakingplacetodaythat,when consideredcumulatively,areeffectingandwillincreasinglyeffecthowwedesign anddevelopproducts. Thiswhitepaperaimstocategorizethedifferentglobaltrendsthatarechanneling oureconomiesandsocietiestowardsthemainstreamuseof3Dprintingandthen toshowhow3Dprintingisrespondinginturntothosechanges. Despiteitsmultiplealiases,thetechniquevariouslyknownas3Dprinting,rapid prototypingandadditivemanufacturingisnotaparticularlynewone.Theprocess ofcreatingasolidobjectbylayingdownsuccessivelayersofmaterialhasbeenin usefortwentyyears.Inthattimeithasremainedlargelyimmunetomainstream mediaforces,heardofbyjustahandfulandonlyproperlyunderstoodbyatiny fraction;thoseinvolveddirectlywithproductdesignonanindustrialscale. However,inthelasttwotothreeyearstheindustryhasbeguntogainwidespread exposureatadizzyingpace.Belowweveidentified8trendsthatarenowcausing themainstreamingof3Dprinting,rapidprototypingandadditivemanufacturing technologies.Thesetrendscanbegroupedunderthebroadheadingsof;societal, environmental,economicandtechnologicalchanges.

SocietalChanges
Thefirstofthese,societalchanges,arehavingaprofoundimpactonthenatureof productionandthesupplyofgoodsaroundtheworld.

1.

Mass Customization to Mass Personalization

Withtheprolongedexposuretoeasilyavailablemassproducedgoods availablesincethe1950s,acertaindesensitizationofthesenseshasbegun tosetinamongconsumersoverthelastdecade. Consumersarenotalwayssatisfiedwithanofftheshelfproduct.Theyalso increasinglywanttobeinvolvedinthedesignanddevelopmentprocessin ordertogetanendproductthatmorecloselyfulfillsallaspectsoftheir demands.Thereactionisnotjustmassproducedgoods,butalsomass customizedgoods. Asingleautomobilemodel,forinstance,istodaytypicallyproducedinmillions ofdifferentcustomizableversions.Butmasscustomizationhasalreadybeen aroundforquitesometimenow. Newerstillisthephenomenaknownasmasspersonalization,whichtakes customizationtothenextlevelbyenablingindividualproductstoconformto theexactingrequirementsofindividualconsumers.
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2.

Demographics in Flux

Theotherbigsocietalchangeisdemographics.Firstlythesheernumberof peopleonthe planetisnow over7billion representingin itselfahuge consumergroup. Butmore significant perhapsiswhere thegrowthis takingplace outsideofEurope andNorth America.Considerwhatitmeansforproductdemandandsupply,forexample, whenacountrysuchasYemenhasthesamepopulationasRussia,asitison linetodobytheyear2050.

3.

Shifting Centers of Wealth

Newcentersofwealthare springingupindifferentpartsof theworld.Countriesoutsideof EuropeandNorthAmericasuch asChinaandIndianowhave identifiablestrataofwealth whichmanufacturingcompanies aretargeting. Countriesthatwenever consideredasconsumersten yearsagoareverymuchsotoday, enabledbythechangingfortunes ofwealth.Brazil,forexample,isnowawealthiercountry(inabsoluteterms) thantheUKthefirsttimeeverthataWesternEuropeannationhasbeen overtakenbyaSouthAmericanone.Asinthecaseofshiftingdemographics, thisinfluenceshowwedevelopnewproductsandthespeedatwhichwe developthem.

4.

Ageing Western Populations

AspartsofEuropefaceveryhighdependencyratiosoverthecomingyearswe havetoconsiderhowthisaffectswhatandhowweproduce.

Thesocalleddependency demographicresultingfrom anageingWestern populationhasveryspecific needsintermsof healthcare,mobility, independenceand recreation.Andtheyareall consumersinfact,oneof therichestsegmentsin society. Industryneedstorespondto theseopportunitiesandalso takethemintoaccount whenconsideringthe manpowercostofproducing futuregoods.

EnvironmentalPressures
Variousenvironmentalpressuresarechanginghowwedesignandbuildproducts. Industriesarebeingpressuredbylegislation,taxationandgovernmenttochange thewaytheyworkandthewaytheydesignandbuildgoods.Itisnowmandatory inmanyindustriestoknow(andtoreduce)thecarbonfootprintoftheproducts beingmade.Weneedtodetermineifaproductcanberecycled,reusedandits endoflife.Allofthisaffectshowwemaketheproductinthefirstplace.

5.

Scarcity of Resources

Wealltakeforgrantedthatcertainproductswillalwaysbehere.Butnotall materialswillbehereforever.Andthat changeshowwethinkaboutbuildingand designingproducts. Forexample,IMFeconomistsgiveserious considerationtoascenariowhereoil productiondeclinesat3.8%annually. Themostalarmingaspectofthisscenario isthatsupplyreductionsofjust3.8% wouldleadtoanoilpricespikeof200% immediatelyand800%over20years, seriouslyaffectingmuchoftheplastics materialsthatgointoourconsumergoods andpackaging.
Inthegraph,bluelineisoptimisticscenario,redline, peakoilscenario.Source: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/01/p df/c3.pdf

6.

Ethical Consumerism

Consumersarealsochangingthewaytheybuyproducts,optingformethods thatarelessexploitativeofscareresources,fragileecosystemsandcheap laborpools.Productdevelopmentstrategiesmustincreasinglyrespondto theseconsiderationsandadapt.

EconomicTravails 7. The Economic Slowdown

Withthesymptomssurfacingin2008,theeconomicslowdownacrossEurope andtheUSmeansthattoday, thereissignificantlylesscapital investmentavailableinthe market. Lesscapitalinvestment translatesintolessmoney availableforequipment investmentandmaintenance, whichintheUSalone,hasled toamassiveslumpinoverall productivecapacity.
Source:http://money.msn.com/waystoinvest/5 companiesgrowingtheeconomymirhaydari.aspx

Asaresult,companiesneed tomitigaterisksinproductdevelopment;increasecertaintythattheproductis valuableandthatpeoplewillbuyit;andensureafastreturnoninvestmentfor thoseproductschosenformarket.

Technology Changes: The Internet Age

Attheotherendoftheequationaretheconsumerspullingonthemanufacturers withmoreandmoreexpectations.Whatsdrivingthis?Increasedglobal connectivityandinparticularcomputersinthehomewhichcreatetheabilityto engagedirectlywithmanufacturers.Wealsonowhaveafairlydevelopedculture ofonlinetradingwhereconsumersfeelathomeengaginginthesupplychainin ordertogetwhattheywant.

8.

Social Media & Social Networking

Theadvanceofsocialmediaandsocialnetworkingisalsohavingagrowing effectonhowwemakeandbuyproducts.Itisnowcommonpracticeto crowdsurftocheckifaproductwillbelikedbeforeweheadintofull production.

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Oncetheproductsareontheshelves,acompanycannolongerrelyonslick marketingalonetomaintainsales.Ifaproductdoesntworkorperformas itshould,thesocialnetworkwilllettheworldknowaboutitwith potentiallyfatalconsequencesforanycompanyorbrandthatrefusesto takesufficientheedofthecrowd.

5 Ways 3D Printing is Responding to Global Change

Thereare2generalwaysinwhich3Dprintingisrespondingtotheforcesoutlined above.Firstwesee3Dprintingenablingconsumerstorepositionthemselves rightattheheartofmanufacturing.Second,weseemoreandmorecompanies engagingacrossthesupplychain.

1.

Demand for Online Content is Accelerating

Asaresponsetothegrowingsocietaldemandtobeinvolvedinthe developmentprocessandagrowingdemandforpersonalizedproduction, todaywefindaplethoraofverylowcost3Dprintingmachinesforthehome andfortheeducational&makercommunity. ThistrendisspurringincreasingdemandforonlineiStorerepositoriesand librarieswherehomemakerscandownloadandthen3Dprintanever increasingarrayofproducts.Wewillalsofindinthecomingyearsan increasingnumberofwebshopsandonlinewebportalswhereconsumerscan becomecocreatorsbyengagingdirectlywiththeirownproductdesigns. Thedevelopmentofhomebased3Dprintingandonlinedataallows consumerstobecomeineffect,minifactories,thuscompressingthesupply chainfromtheCADterminalstraighttotheconsumer.

2.

Manufacturing is Shifting Back to the Consumer

Untilquitelateintotheindustrialrevolutionpeoplestilllearnedatradeand madeproductswiththeirownhands.Theprocesswasslow,inefficientand relativelyunaffordableforthevastmajorityofpeople.Theindustrial revolutionbroughtfactoriesandmassproductionmachinesintoplayto standardizegoodsandensureacheapsupplyofproductstomeetthe burgeoningdemandofEuropeancitizens. Today,nowthatmassproducedgoodsarelargelyattainable,weseea reboundingtrendbacktomoreindividuallydesignedgoods.Thistrendisa

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resultofthesqueezefromboththesocietalmovetomasscustomizationand personalizationontheoneside;andtheeconomictimeswenowfind ourselvesin,wherethehighcapitalinvestmentrequiredformassproduction isprohibitivelyexpensiveformanyentrepreneurstosetupontheirown. Onepositiveresponsebeingenabledby3DprintingistheQuirkybusiness modelnamedfortheNewYorkbasedfirmfoundedbyentrepreneurBen Kaufman.Quirkysbusinessmodelisbasedontheprinciplethattraditional manufacturingisbecomingincreasinglyaboveandbeyondthereachof everydaydesignersandentrepreneurs. Intraditionalmanufacturingplantsitcantakeanywherebetween18to24 monthsofplanningandcapitalinvestmentbeforeanewproductactuallyrolls offtheproductionlinesandintoshops.Thisprocesseffectivelyraisesthe barriertoentryforpeoplewhomayhaveanewinnovativeideaandwhowant toturntheseideasintoacommercialproductwithinareasonabletimeto market. Withaninhouse3D printer,Quirkyis abletoshortenand simplifytheproduct development processandenable peoplewithgood productideastobe abletorapidlyand efficientlycreate workingprototypes thatcanbeheldand tested,thus eliminatingamajorstumblingblockinthewayofbringingtheirproductto market.TodayQuirkydesignsanddevelopsanumberofnewconsumer productsfromscratcheverysingleweek. TheQuirkymodelisanaturalresponsetotheeconomicpressuresoftodays downturn,thedemographicchangesthatrepresentnewopportunitiesinboth homeandforeignmarkets,andsocietalchangesthatarepressuringtheway weconsumeresources. TheimplicationsoftheQuirkymodelforWesternnationaleconomiesmay alsobesignificantintheyearsahead.Ifthedeepeningoftherecession continuestohitmanufacturingcapacity,3Dprintingmaybeabletooffset
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someofthelossbybypassingthetraditionalcapitalintensiveprocess, enablingthespeedydevelopmentofawiderangeofinnovativeproducts. Thevalue&differentiationhereinboththeiStoretrendandtheQuirkytrend isinthecontentandthedevelopmentofusercommunitiesofdesignersand innovatorswhoarenowabletoproduceforthemselves.Inbothcases,3D printingrepresentsthehardwareenablertheconsumervalueisinthefast andrelativelyeasyrealizationofanewideaintoaworkingprototypeandeven realproduct.

3.

More Companies are Engaging Across the Supply Chain

Wewillincreasinglysee3Dprintingasanenablerforcompaniestoengage acrossthesupplychain.3Dprintingwillincreasinglybeusedasadistribution solutionwherepartsaremadetoorder,withouttheneedtoholdstocknear totheconsumer. Thisishavingaprofoundimpactalreadyinthesmallnumberofapplication areasusing3DprintingonadailybasissuchaslampshadesandiPhonecovers. Withtheriseof3Dprintingservicebureaus,andnowevenCloudbased3D printingservices,makingpartsondemandandnearertotheconsumerwill continuetomakesupplychainsincreasinglyleanandefficientinthecoming years. Thepotentialbenefitsofthistoollessandinventoryfreesupplychaininclude lowermaterialconsumption,lesswaste,lowercarbonfootprint,reduced capitalinvestment,mitigatedrisk,andtheabilitytoeasilydifferentiateyour productfromtherest.

4.

Desktop 3D Printers are Proliferating in Office Environments

Wecanexpectanexpanding penetrationofdesktop3D printersintomoreoffices andsmallerofficesthanksto therapidlyincreasing capabilitiesofthemodels availabletoday.Whilethe larger,morecomplex3D printerswillcontinuetobea naturalpartofacentralized
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TheObjet30ProfessionalDesktop3DPrinterintheSmall OfficeEnvironment

prototypinglabinvirtuallyeverylargemanufacturingcompany,theriseofthe desktop3Dprinterimbuedwithincreasinglysimilarlevelsofaccuracyand producingcomparable3Dmodelstotheindustrialsizemachines,willbecome moreandmoredefusedthroughthemanysmallerfirmsandboutiquedesign houses. Desktop3Dprintersarebecomingevermoreaffordableandadvancedintheir accuracy&resolutionqualityandintheirabilitytosuitablysimulatethefitand formofpartsandproductsenvisionedbydesignersandengineers.Theyalso offertodayagreaterrangeand versatilityofmaterialsthanever before. TheObjet30desktop3Dprinterfor exampleoffersarangeof5different 3Dprintingmaterials,including differentopaqueshadesanda polypropylenelikematerialfor prototypingsnapfitparts.

TheObjet30ProfessionalDesktop3DPrinterwitha Rangeof5PrintingMaterials

Theplethoraofprofessionallevel desktop3Dprintersavailableforunder$50,000israpidlyexpanding,placing fastandprofessionalrapidprototypingcapabilitiesattheserviceofvirtually anydesignhouseorsmallengineeringfirm. Theresultingriseoftheprofessional desktopmachineisagamechangerfor smallerfirmsprovidingbetterrisk mitigationinaneraofscarcerinvestment capital,fasterinnovationcycles,better communicationwithinthesupplychain andoverallleadtimecompression.This Architectural3DModelPrintedonanObjet willenablecompaniesononesideof 3DPrinter.CourtesyofRietveldArchitects. theworldtorespondagilelytothe plethoraofnewdemographicand consumergroupopportunitiesonothersidesoftheworldforexample,in thenewlyemergingmarketsofAsiaandSouthAmerica. Thosecompanieswiththeirown3Dprintingcapabilitieswillbeableto developanedgeenablingthemtocompetewithmuchlargemultinationals whenitcomestorapidlytransformingideasintoworkingproducts.

5.

High-End 3D Printing Capabilities Will Continue to Exponentially Improve

Todayshighend3Dprintershaveimproved exponentiallyoverthelastdecade.Foranexample, ObjetsoriginalQuadraTemporeleasedin2000 delivered20micronprintlayers(agamechangerinits day),featured1536jetnozzlesin4printheads,based inasingleblockandthemachineprintedonematerial, knowninitstimeasM510. ComparethistothelatestObjet260Connexdelivering doubletheprintqualityfromjusthalfthenumberof printnozzles,atasignificantlyhigherrunspeedandin amachinewithhalfthefootprint.

Objet260ConnexMulti Material3DPrinter

Inplaceofjustonematerial,todaysmachinefeatures achoiceof68 differentmaterialswithrangingproperties fromopaquetotransparent,rigidtoflexible, andstandardtoengineeringplastics.Itcan alsocombineupto14differentmaterial propertiesandcolorshadeswithinasingle modelprototype. Sonotonlyare3Dprintersbecomingmore capable,buttherangeandmechanical propertiesof3Dprintingmaterials,especially forinkjetbasedtechnology,isexpanding exponentially.

LampPrototypeCreatedontheObjet ConnexMultiMaterial3DPrinter. CourtesyofPatrickGunther.

These developmentsare workingto constantlyreduce thepriceof3D printed components, compresslead timesandexpand therangeand functionalitiesof3Dprintedparts.Theresultofallthisisthatadvanced3D printersarebecomingamusthavefixturewithineverylargeproduct developmentcompanyfromtheautomotivesectortoelectronicgoodsand
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householdappliances.Manufacturerswillbeableinfuturetocutoutmuchof theirsecondarytoolingprocessessuchasinjectionmolding,resintoolingand softtooling.Andallofthiswillgointohelpingthemcompresstheirtimeto market,reducetheircostsandalsoreducetheburdentheyplaceonthe environment.

Conclusion
Whenfacedwiththerapidpaceofchangeintheyearsahead,3Dprinting representsapotentdevice,onethatcouldmitigatemanyofthestructural challengesofoureconomiesandsocieties,allowingmorebusinessestocompete andtakeadvantageofdevelopingopportunitiesaroundtheworld. Thegrowthofpersonalmanufacturingandonlinecontentinitselfhasthe potentialtoreinventwholeeconomies.Bolsteredbytheemergenceofthe Quirkymodel,3Dprintingmaybringalevelofselfsufficiencybackinthefaceof scarcerresources,greaterethicalconsumerism,moredemandforpersonalization, shiftingdemographicsandnewcentersofwealth. 3DprintinghasthepotentialtohelpoffsetthedeclineinWesternmanufacturing, replacingthetopheavytoobigtofailmodelwithalighter,moreagileandmore evenlyspreadproductionbase providinghigheraddedvalue. Suchamodelputsinnovationback intothehandsofmorecitizenryand couldspuranewroundofglobaland technologicalinnovationsleadingtoa new,grassrootsprosperity.While perhapsstillashadowyvision,the DragonPrototype3DPrintedinObjetClear TransparentMaterial visionisbeingrapidlyanimatedby theincreasingcapabilitiesof3D printingitselflowerprices,moreadvancedprototypingcapabilities,smaller machinesandagreaterrangeof3Dprintingmaterialsthaneverbefore. Withallofthetrendstakentogether,itsasafebettoassumethatthefutureof productdesignanddevelopmentwilllookverydifferentadecadehence.But ratherthanfrighten,thisknowledgeshouldhelptoinvigorateentrepreneursand businessesintorenewedaction.3Dprintingwillhelpbybecominganessential componentinlevelingtheproductdevelopmentplayingfieldenablingevery companytoleveragethemostfromtheopportunitiesthatarecomingtothefore evennow,aswespeak.

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About Objet
ObjetLtd.,isaleadingproviderofhighquality,costeffectiveinkjetbased3D printingsystemsandmaterials.Aglobalcompany,ObjethasofficesinNorth America,Europe,Japan,China,HongKong,andIndia. Objets3Dprintingsystemsand3Dprintingmaterialsareidealforanycompany involvedinthemanufactureordesignofphysicalproductsusing3Dsoftwareor other3Dcontent.CompaniesusingObjetssolutionscanbetypicallyfoundin sectorssuchasconsumergoods&electronics,aerospace&defense,automotive, education,dental,medicalandmedicaldevices,architecture,industrial machinery,footwear,sportinggoods,toysandservicebureaus. Foundedin1998,thecompanyhasthousandsofcustomersworldwideincludinga substantialshareoftherelevantFortune100andFortune500.Itsawardwinning technology(12awardsin5years)isbaseduponover110patentsandpatent pendinginventions. Objetsadvanced3Dprintingsystemsandrangeofover65materialsenable professionalstobuildprototypesthataccuratelysimulatethetruelook,feeland functionofanendproduct,evencomplex,assembledgoods.TheObjetConnex lineofmultimaterial3Dprintersfeaturestheworldsonlytechnologyto simultaneouslyjet2materials.Withthis,userscanprintmanydifferentmaterials intoasinglepartandprintvariousmixedpartsonthesamebuildtray.Userscan alsocreateadvancedcompositematerials,orDigitalMaterialsfeaturingunique mechanicalandthermalproperties.Objetsrangeofover603Dprintingmaterials simulatepropertiesrangingfromrigidtorubberlike,transparenttoopaqueand standardtoABSgradeengineeringplastics,withalargenumberofinbetween shoregradesandshades. Objets3Dprintersareavailableinarangeofformfactors,fromcosteffective desktop3Dprintersidealforentrylevelprofessionalsallthewaytoindustrial scalemultimaterialmachinesforfrontlinedesignersandtopmanufacturers. Objets3Dprintersfeaturetheindustryshighestresolution3Dprintingquality, basedon16micron(0.0006in.)superthinlayering,widematerialversatility, officefriendlinessandeaseofoperation. Formoreinformation,visitusatwww.objet.com,andformoreabout3Dprinting industryrelatednews,businessissuesandtrends,readtheObjetblog.
Trademarkedcompanyandproductnamesarethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.

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