3D printing has easily established itself as something amazing. Is it really the revolutionary technology that everybody makes it out to be though? That’s the question behind a new episode of PBS’ wonderful Off Book series.
This week, Off Book interviews numerous 3D printing insiders and experts to get their opinions on the future of the technology:
Much attention has been paid to 3D Printing lately, with new companies developing cheaper and more efficient consumer models that have wowed the tech community. They herald 3D Printing as a revolutionary and disruptive technology, but how will these printers truly affect our society? Beyond an initial novelty, 3D Printing could have a game-changing impact on consumer culture, copyright and patent law, and even the very concept of scarcity on which our economy is based. From at-home repairs to new businesses, from medical to ecological developments, 3D Printing has an undeniably wide range of possibilities which could profoundly change our world.
What’s sets 3D printing apart from other so called “revolutions” in tech or manufacturing is that 3D printing has over 20 years of innovation behind it. All that knowledge will soon be passed on to us as we move from a consumer culture to a creator culture. The Internet has already achieved a creator culture in digital goods, and 3D printing may very well be the thing to extend that into the physical realm.