Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article entitled, ”How 3-D Printing Figures to Turn Web Worlds Real.” I have written about 3-D printing — or rapid prototype manufacturing (RPM)—before, but a couple of things struck me about the article.
First, I was surprised by the number of new 3-D printing companies that have emerged in just the last few months, including FigurePrints, 3D Outlook, Genometri and Fabjectory. Now, I’m not foolish enough to believe that all of these companies will survive, but it does tell me that 3-D printing isn’t just some fad—it is a real and growing business. This, in turn, means that others businesses need to “jump the curve” and begin contemplating how RPM will impact their business. This is espectailly true for the toy and jewelry industries which are likely to see the impact first.
Second, I was impressed with how the equipment continues to drop in price. According to the article, some printers could begin showing up in homes as early as 2013. If true, this carries a host of implications as well. For example, what items will people “print” in the comfort of their home instead of buying at the store—cups, plates, glasses, picture frames?
Finally, the growth figures were a real eye-opener. In the past year, over 8,000 3-D printers have been sold and one company, Desktop Factory, already has 350 pre-order for a $5,000 3-D printer it is building.
Again, all of these facts, lead me to believe that 3-D printing is one of those “ripples” (which I speak about in my forthcoming book) that will soon turn into a massive wave. The job of the exponential executive is to figure out to position your business today so that it can ride the wave tomorrow.
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Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
