The Additive Manufacturing Revolution: Local Networks
It will be wise to keep in mind through this article that I don’t believe that the revolution will happen until maybe five, perhaps ten years out from now. This is based on the average date of literature I’ve read on the topic. This reason you can read about in AMPEL.
This paper will address the second segment of the graphic above by providing more insight into the system. It will address these categories respectively:
Makespaces
Waste Management
SME’s and Startups
Retailers,
Education
Local Residents
Investors
Local Government
Suppliers & Supply Chain
One more key to keep in mind is that this revolution is a part of the most recent industrial revolution which uses data as its fuel. Similar to oil, “refined” data is more valuable than “raw” data.
Makespaces
A makespace is a location in the community where local creators can access manufacturing equipment in order to prototype their designs. The makespace is characterized by ready-to-use additive machinery and has a small maintenance staff to ensure that the equipment is in good condition and runs at capacity. This physical location will take a few different forms depending on the intent, funding, and community.
The professional makespace
The first type of makespace is attached to a professional design firm. This company has a staff of professional product designers working on fulfilling the needs of clients. Many of these needs are met through in-house manufacturing. First priority of the heavy machinery goes to these operations.
The staff is split between designers (who create digital models of ideas), engineers (who verify the real-world durability/usability of those models), and technicians (who tend to and operate the machinery to manifest those ideas into reality). The product life cycle is dependent on all three groups; none could operate efficiently without the others.
Though not the main source of revenue, community members subsidize the company’s expenses by paying a fee in exchange for use of the 3D printers and other machinery. The design firm may even host educational events and hire previously paying community members in order to bolster its team. As engaging with and making use of the community’s skills is in the best interest of the design firm, maintaining a “community manager” as a full-time paid position would be an excellent investment.
The community makespace
The other type of makespace would take the form of a non-profit community space. One or two staff members would be needed to monitor usage and maintenance. Classes may be administered by volunteers or hourly. This makespace’s main purpose is to provide an educational space to the community rather than to fulfill client goals.
Waste Management
Waste comes in many forms: discarded material, retired equipment, and “normal” office waste.
Discarded material
This section will discuss waste in the terms of ABS or PLA plastics as are typical with FDM printing.
Through the lifecycle of additive manufacturing operations, a certain amount of material (typically 25-50 grams) is shed as a by-product or removed in post-processing per product. This can typically be discarded through normal means although, due to unique advantages of the technology, a better means presents itself.
Ideally, discarded plastic material will be recycled and reused for 3D printing again. Because the vast majority of 3D printers use a thin (1.75mm) strand of plastic filament as material, the process is well defined and requires few moving parts. The waste would be put into a furnace in which it is melted down. Then, likely using pneumatics, the melted plastic is reformed into a 1.75mm strand which is looped on a spool, ready to be used by a 3D printer as part of its next project.
This concept of recycling material for 3D printing is not new and has been put into practice already. However, it typically involves “gathering” waste before sending it to a plant for processing. In this way, the material is processed off-site. The recycler then resells filament made from previously used and discarded plastics.
Retired Equipment
As the industry evolves quickly, machinery goes out of date just as quickly. Luckily, for the professional or semi-pro manufacturer, maintaining an arsenal of cutting edge machinery is often easier than it seems!
One of the enormous advantages of the technology is its reliance on a “skeleton” of key parts while the designs of accessories and amplifications can be downloaded, printed, and equipped. A prime example is a dominant machine in the hobbyist’s world, the Creality Ender 3. The unit is a bare minimum of parts, a setup which encourages the user to install their own modifications and upgrades.
There exist, however, many parts which cannot be printed (ie metal pieces or electronic components). Luckily these are rather inexpensive and require minimal mechanical engineering knowledge to install. In fact, integrating these parts to a 3D printer is a good project for users of any level to practice their skills with components. This process yields confidence, an upgraded machine, and experience with machining, programming, and/or electronics.
A makespace can also be utilized as a place for old equipment to be recycled and put to good use. First, machines deemed inoperative could be cannibalized by cutting edge developers to use critical parts on new inventions. Machines deemed operative but run-down can be used by educational classes to teach new students how to take care of a machine. The machine can be designated to a team and given a semi-permanent space on site. Finally, machines deemed fully operational can be used by staff technicians to practice their refurbishment skills and be set to work with the rest of the manufacturing fleet.
Office Waste
In keeping with business standards, the workspace should be kept tidy and waste-free, including professional or industry documents. An on-site shredder or partnership with a company like ShredIt should be maintained.
For an organization utilizing additive manufacturing in mass, proper ventilation must be considered a part of facilitating office waste. Particularly with FDM machines using ABS material, an environment with proper ventilation is absolutely necessary to meet health standards. A successful makespace should ensure that a ventilation system exists and is properly maintained..
SME’s and Startups
Let’s quickly define small- to medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) and startups. Though legal definitions vary, SME’s are businesses which typically have less than 50 employees and have assets below a certain threshold. SME’s are also focused on a steady pace of growth. This is the key differentiator between SME’s and startups: a startup is typified by the desire to explode onto the scene.
The impact which this network will have on SME’s/startups is best understood with a recap of the year 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, established businesses saw an extraordinary shift from office work to the work-from-home trend. Though many individuals were able to keep their corporate jobs, this trend also redefined the lines of workspace.
Now, perhaps more than ever, it is increasingly wiser for the motivated individual to leverage their time, efforts, and expertise in a “side-hustle”. The legal framework behind these side-hustles encourages an individual to form an entity around their work.
For example, Dan (fictional) is a SolidWorks designer and takes a job for which he works 14 hours. To get paid he sends the employer a W9 with the information for Dans Designs Inc rather than his personal tax information. The entity is paid and distributes the income to Dan, who happens to be the entity’s only employee.
This process is easier for all parties involved and spawns legal benefits which will not be detailed here. Regardless, the current work-from-home environment encourages the formation of small personal entities or small partnerships which are used to conduct business.
The democratization of design software and the ability to effectively sustain an income with “small jobs” is good news for the makespace. As we will see in the education section below, a makespace which is involved in the knowledge transformation of its users can amass a network of professionals and amateurs who become useful in fulfilling design/manufacturing contracts. This further encourages the formation of small entities amongst the body by providing the cash flow and the work flow for them to thrive.
With these factors in mind it is not difficult to envision the makespace as a potential hotbed of entrepreneurs. Further, a connection with local colleges to have business law/entrepreneurship professors speak on occasion will help build the knowledge base of the community and set the stage for SME’s and startups. This creates value for investors as well.
Retailers
Retailers, when allied with an additive manufacturing and design group, can provide value to their community on a deeply personal level. Thanks to the versatility of various 3D printing machines, custom and personalized parts and/or components can be manufactured at scale and for a relatively low cost.
Consider Invisalign, the company which has overthrown the retainer and invisible braces industry by incorporating stereolithographic 3D printing into their product’s life cycle. Their process involves scanning a patient’s dental specifications (as is typical) then reconstructing it as a digital model. This shape is then engineered into an “invisible” retainer mold and 3D printed to fit each patients specific dental needs.
The real value comes with time. As each mold only performs a minor change on the patient’s teeth, they require a new mold approximately twice a month. Where typical manufacturing would be very cost-heavy on slightly modified replications, 3D printing allows these one-off modifications to cost very little to replicate. In fact, this consistent low cost of goods sold in conjunction with slightly modified replications is one of the incredible parts of the additive manufacturing value proposition.
For the retailers, it is a cost saving which they can take advantage of. They can further enhance the true value received by influencing production decisions with consumer data. The greater the integration, the greater the value. Again we see that data will fuel the value of this technology.
Education
One way in which local networks can contribute is by sharing knowledge and expertise, the two being separated by the accumulation of experience. Community and even professional makespaces will find that investment in educational programs is a fantastic decision. The process can result in several benefits for both the hosting organization and the community in participation.
First, the community itself. Regardless of age or gender, an understanding of design application and the elements of robotics at play are valuable skills in the 21st century. For middle- or high-school students wishing to get hands-on experience with STEM projects, this is beneficial. For early- or mid-career adults, the information allows them to enhance current skills and, for the outliers, become connected with a possible source of extra income by fulfilling or contributing to design contracts with the host.
For the host, if the makespace is hosted by a private for-profit company, community educational programs present a way to recruit company personnel or expand the network of contractors. Not only can the curriculum be curated to teach skills desired by the host company, but the host can also track progress of individuals and select outliers as potential hires.
Local Residents
Local residents are defined as individuals who are geographically located near a makespace. Though the community incorporates people around the planet via the internet, this section will describe the effects of AM development on those physically local. Residents benefit as students, as consumers, and as investors..
First, local residents stand to benefit from educational resources produced by the makespace. The previous section, Education, outlines how this is so. By participating in community events, the youth (and other segments, but youth especially) gain tremendous insight into the manufacturing technology of the fourth industrial revolution.
As consumers, residents can benefit from the producers at the makespace. The advantages of AM’s versatility are described in the section Retailers which discusses the manufacturing ease of custom-made products which comes with 3D printing. This capability gives local buyers access to personal medical products such as dental braces, orthotics, or implants (other products are also available but medical products are arguably the best application).
As investors in these local retailers and the makespace itself, residents get a leg up on the market merely due to their geographical position. They can see a direct effect on their community and, ultimately, their assets. Investment in AM is an investment in the future.
Investors
Makespaces, presented in this article’s context as the hub of local AM network activity, present an interesting opportunity for investors. Besides investing in productivity and an emerging technology, investors are also exposed to a market of individuals with modern skills.
As the makespace represents an area of learning and manufacturing, another non-physical element unique to this network must not be overlooked and that is the collaborative design platform. Experts and amateurs alike can access a library of design with varying degrees of integration. The investor does not just gain access to the resources at the makespace; they gain access to the virtual network as well.
Perhaps the investor who stands to make the most from interest in a makespace is a recruiter, either agency or corporate. By being an active investor and framing their involvement at the makespace as such, they have the potential to make and curate valuable connections. The recruiter offers value by connecting makespace users with critical contracts.
The active and involved investor can be involved with various projects and promote team members to contract work outside the makespace. They could also be involved with educational programs and classes run by the makespace in order to track and select outliers to help integrate them in the job market of their own interest. Everybody wins.
This is not to say that opportunities for non-active investors are nonexistent. Though the full range of resources to investors lies in the connections to be made, there is also significant potential to investment in the development and sales of additive machinery, a burgeoning industry of the 21st century. (Learn more about this idea in my article on The Additive Manufacturing Frontier).
Local Governments
Local governments (city or county) enjoy benefits from the local networks associated with additive manufacturing as well. These benefits revolve around the professionals involved in the makespace as well as access to review of the standards of a new industry.
As the makespace becomes known throughout the community as a place where designers and engineers gather to improve their own capabilities, local officials can turn to this community as a source of structural experts.
Local officials would also be best employed by partnering with the makespace facility to launch their own campaign into investigation of the processes behind additive manufacturing. Considering the youth of this technology, public officials would do well to becomes familiar with young companies in the industry and accompany this knowledge with case studies of larger manufacturers who pivot towards AM. They must be prepared for the new era in which the manufacturing process is democratized.
One such area which will necessitate government policy is that of 3D printing of firearms and other weapons. As the manufacturing process is democratized (ie, a printer in every home), danger grows. It is now possible for any individual with a 3D printer to download a weapon design and manufacture it in their own home. I will not render judgement on if this is a “good thing” for any society, but the point is that this change has happened.
Suppliers & Supply Chain
One strength of additive manufacturing is the way in which it streamlines the supply chain. The mechanics of the technology dictate that the variety of materials used will be substantially less than traditional manufacturing. The industry will be dominated by the few suppliers who can build strengths in these areas: ability to see the trends, form connections with significant manufacturers, and invest in research of specialty materials.
The vision to see the trends of the industry come from investment in the companies driving change. Whether this investment is through money, time, advice, or a a combination thereof, both parties must agree on a consistent mode of communication by which they both help move the industry forward. Coordination and sharing of data is the key here: remember that data is the fuel of this industrial revolution.
Conclusion
Local networks provide opportunity and value for all in the community and many outside of it. Developing a makespace as the hub for communication, data refinement, and human connection is essential to the aspects laid out in this piece. The industry is evolving rapidly and the collaboration of minds in a productive environment is necessary to maintaining the cutting edge.
