

Print me a phone: new 3D printing techniques to embed electronics into products - DavidSJ
http://www.economist.com/node/21559593

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phreeza
What gets me excited about this, and surprisingly is not mentioned in the
article, is that this is a step closer to 'true' self-replicating machines. A
step beyond the current model of replicating the mechanical parts and putting
in the electrical parts by hand.

Of course this still depends on this special pellet ink, and semiconductors
are probably a long way off too, but maybe not as far as we think?

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jsmcgd
I agree. I'm of the opinion that the effects of low-cost additive
manufacturing (or however you like to refer to it) is going to take a lot of
people of surprise and happen much sooner than people think.

We're right at the beginning of this technology curve (low-cost, personal 3D
printing). There doesn't seem to be any theoretical limits to stop people
creating any consumer object at home for low cost whether it's food, medicine,
clothes, electronics, vehicles or more 3D printers.

Personally I think this technology will revolutionize society like no other
has before and I think it will totally cannibalize our producer/consumer based
economy. We won't need to visit stores to obtain the goods we need. We
therefore won't need the pyramid of other goods and services that support
them.

So while the technology will lay waste to the jobs that employ most of the
world's population making them cash poor, at the same time people will
paradoxically be materially wealthy. All that is needed is enough land to
provide the materials to feed these machines and their owners.

Forgive my soaring, breathless extrapolations but I currently can't see how
these things won't come to pass. Hold on to your butts, this one's a real
doozy.

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SkyMarshal
Agreed. It will be as disruptive or more than the Information revolution.

 _> Personally I think this technology will revolutionize society like no
other has before and I think it will totally cannibalize our producer/consumer
based economy. We won't need to visit stores to obtain the goods we need. We
therefore won't need the pyramid of other goods and services that support
them._

Yes, supply chains will basically simplify into supplying the raw materials
alone, and people keep stockpiles, and download designs from the Internet,
make their own designs, or scan an already existing item into a virtual
design.

My big fear is the IP industry will attempt to own most of the designs.
Imagine by contrast what a fully free, open source world would look like,
where people just buy the raw material and freely share their designs online.
The progress would be more than exponential. But if Big IP tries to lock it
all up under patent and copyright laws, then who knows...

~~~
jsmcgd
Yeah I worry about that too. I think it might play out in a similar fashion to
the entertainment industry where the legitimate companies are restricted, sued
and legislated against while the illegal file sharers/manufacturers
essentially continue unabated.

From the outside file sharing has a real image problem, where it is considered
as only a self serving activity. That it's only teenage youths illegally
ripping off copyrighted work and where any societal benefits are dismissed out
of hand.

Hopefully 3D printing will have more popular support from society at large,
and legislators will find it more difficult to pass laws that only favour the
IP hounds. Fingers crossed.

