3D printing is poised to revolutionize manufacturing and product design just as on-demand television has revolutionized the media industry.
In his new book, “3D Printing Will Rock the World,” intellectual property lawyer John Hornick explains why manufacturing on-demand is right around the corner. He believes the 3D printer may be the most powerful machine ever invented, and is on track to radically transform the planet.
“With the industrial revolution, people became buyers, not makers,” says Hornick. “But we are makers at heart. 3D printers enable us to become makers again. 3D printing will enable designers to create products that never existed before, revolutionize products, and democratize manufacturing.
The book discusses existing printing technology and ongoing materials research. It also provides dozens of real-life examples of how the technology will affect industries and consumers. Hornick believes 3D printing is already transforming our world in ways we never thought possible, creating artificial limbs, human tissue, and possibly human hearts.
In the book he explains:
- how 3D printing will revolutionize product design, blurring the lines between manufacturing and customers
- why companies will be forced to adapt their business models
- how 3D printing may make the concept of a “genuine” product meaningless
- the dark side of 3D printing, including its interplay with laws, crime, and national security
Ultimately Hornick concludes that mass production could be replaced by production by the masses, merging science and nature to create products that look more like they were grown than built.
3D printing will reinvent design because product designs will no longer need to be broken into multiple parts because of manufacturing constraints. As an example, the book notes that “Traditional manufacturing makes us use quarter-inch drills to bore quarter-inch holes, and designers and engineers design products accordingly. In a 3D-printing-enabled world, such constraints no longer exist. Designers simply specify a hole’s location; no tool is needed to drill it.”
“Designers can immerse themselves in the creative process because they can 3D print prototypes immediately,” explains Hornick. “The monotony of mass-produced designs can be replaced with mass-customized and mass-personalized designs.”
“As you read this book, think about the implications of 3D printing for your life, your job, your company, your country, and the world,” says Hornick. “Think about things you may never have dreamed of. Think outside the box.”
About the Author
John Hornick has more than 30 years of experience as a counselor and litigator at the Finnegan IP law firm, one of the largest IP firms in the world. As the founder of Finnegan’s 3D Printing Working Group, Hornick frequently speaks and writes on 3D printing. As the only IP attorney selected by the U.S. Comptroller General Forum on Additive Manufacturing, he is also a juror for the International Additive Manufacturing Award.
