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.

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
8

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.

Objet260ConnexMulti
Material3DPrinter

ComparethistothelatestObjet260Connexdelivering
doubletheprintqualityfromjusthalfthenumberof
printnozzles,atasignificantlyhigherrunspeedandin
amachinewithhalfthefootprint.

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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