Web 3.D is the combination of websites and custom manufacturing technology. In the near future (and to some degree now) people will be able to buy physical goods like we buy songs on iTunes now. This ...
Web 3.D is the combination of websites and custom manufacturing technology. In the near future (and to some degree now) people will be able to buy physical goods like we buy songs on iTunes now. This technology will put the "Custom" back in customer.
John Fotheringham, Entrepreneur at Language MasteryExcellent presentation, Joseph. I have recently joined the apparel industry and we are looking into ways our company can offer mass customization. Your presentation was very inspirational and beautifully designed to boot!1 year ago
Personal computers and the
Internet changed
communication, ways of
sharing information and the
distribution of digital goods
Could it do the same for
physical goods?
Yes. It is possible to purchase physical goods the
way we buy digital products. How?
What is Mass
Customization?
The production and
distribution of
customized goods…
On a mass scale
This is not a new idea.
Computation drastically changed the
way fabric patterns were manufactured.
When Joseph Marie Jacquard automated
the process using punch cards in 1805.
Photo Credit: h,p://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment/
h,p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Marie_Jacquard
3D printing patents in the mid-1980’s paved the
way for the customization revolution.
h,p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_prinBng
Why hasn’t it materialized?
Most mass production technologies aren’t exible
enough to leverage information technology.
Luckily, custom manufacturing
technology is maturing rapidly
Photo Credit: h,p://www.makerbot.com
A bunch of custom manufacturing technologies are mature
enough to produce retail quality good that are built to order.
These tools are also affordable for entrepreneurs
Sources:
• www.HP.com/go/exstream
• www.Xerox.com
Variable data prinBng is the most mature custom
manufacturing technology.
There are dozens of companies that will put your photos
or artworks on T‐shirts, coffee mugs, bind them into
books, or even put them on a skateboard.
3D Printers are an
“Additive” technology
primarily used to rapid
prototype engineering
concepts before
manufacturing
Photo Credit: h,p://www.zcorp.com
However 3D printouts are used as
“final products” in medicine. An
individual paBents bones can be
scanned and perfect replicas can be
produced in steel.
Photo Credit: h,p://www.stryker.com
On the whimsical side, companies are using 3D printers
to create acBon figures. In future this could dramaBcally
impact the $26B toy industry.
Photo Credit: h,p://www.figureprints.com
… And MacBooks
Photo Credit: h,p://leahculver.com/laser‐etched‐laptop/
Laser cu)ers are
“Subtrac.ve” technology.
They can burn the surface of
a material to etch a design.
Or cut through many
materials to create a custom
shape.
Photo Credit: h,p://www.epiloglaser.com
Water jet cutters are also a “Subtractive” technology.
They can cut through a wider variety of materials including
steel, aluminum, and marble that are many inches thick.
Photo Credit: h,p://www.mfg.com/profiles/KAMMETALINC‐163332.html
CNC Milling is a subtractive process that starts with a block of material that the
mill carves into a nal shape. CNC Mills can cut wood, plastic, metals, and many
other materials including wax. The complexity of shapes mills can carve
separates it from laser and water jet cutting.
The ability to carve wax allows jewelers to create custom designs in a process
called “investment casting” and could disrupt the $60B jewelry market.
A custom design is milled The wax is cast The cast design is
from a block of wax in metal polished and set with
stones
Photo Credit: h,p://www.ganoksin.com/
CNC plotters are able to cut
extraordinarily detailed
shapes into paper.
Designs like the Chinese
bird to the left required
hours of a skilled artisans
time to cut.
The same output is now
within reach of anyone with
$300, an interest in design,
and a few minutes of time.
1 Million Personal Paper
Cutters have already
been sold. The Personal
fabrication future is
here and is distributed
pretty widely.
Sources: Music: h,p://bit.ly/El4R8 The Social Network figure derived from Facebok’s $500MM, MySpace’s $300MM, and
assumes the long tail of SN’s account for revenue equal to the two majors.
Élcio Medeiros
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