35 COUNTRIES, 3,000 PEOPLE, 86,400 SECONDS LATER

Day two of the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo came to a close today.  It was the first event of its kind for this technology, bringing together over 3,000 attendees from 30 plus countries over a two day period.  It was a roaring success and will go on a road tour to Chicago, San Jose, Singapore and Munich.

A range of topics from cooking (you can print chocolate), medicine (printing organs for clinical trials), manufacturing (GE is using the process for jet engine parts) and building construction (architectural design) and fashion (print a dress) were covered.

And now Wall Street is taking note as we noticed participation by Lux Capital, Goldman Sachs, RRE Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Trent Capital and Piper Jaffray among others.

Deployment of the technology is now creeping towards consumer use, fueled by a consumer-facing company, ShapeWays, where you can make, buy and sell products (thousands of them).  The company's ecosystem moves from designer to distributor (ShapeWays), to the consumer and back to the designer.

ATTENTION ad agencies and marketers:  Don't miss the boat on this exploding, disruptive technology.  Your absence at the event was obvious.  Get ahead of the curve and a step ahead of your competition.  NOW.

You can review current, updated news on the world of 3D Printing at www.3DPrintingBureau.org 

I just came away from day one at the Inside 3D Printing conference at the Javits Center in NYC and was blown away by the size of the crowd and the throngs of people stretching to get close to the exhibitors at the expo.

Several dozen sponsors and exhibitors took over a corner of the Javits Convention Center for a track series on 3D Printing 101 and tutorials on design initiatives.  As it relates to the medical industry and pharma, Lawrence Bonassar, associate professor for the department of biomedical engineering at Cornell noted that his “vision for this technology” would be to reduce the cost of medical imaging so that physicians can take profile photographs of healthy patients that can then be stored and used at the time of injury.

Why is this technology important to marketers today?  Because this trans-formative, game changing technology will impact manufacturing, delivery channels, the media and the way we bring products and services to market.  

How we communicate these changes and opportunities to the consumer and the businesses that make it happen is what marketing and advertising is all about.  For too long, ad agencies have taken a back seat to technology, reacting only when prodded by their clients or when they risk a collective review of their services.

We are on the doorstep of a huge new industry.  It's not too late to begin mining the intelligence that will keep you one step ahead of your competitors.  

A daily news feed on 3D Printing can be found at: www.3DPrintingBureau.org

COMING OF AGE

It's time.   

There has been much ado about 3D printing over the last few months.  While the application to marketing has yet to make an impact, trust me, it will be huge.  3D printing has been around for more than 20 years but has not been able to scale as the technology that drives the process was costly, running into the millions.

Times have changed rapidly and the technology is now running machines (replicators) costing as little as $500 for a kit form ($2200 for a plug and play model).

Unless you've been living under a rock, shock waves across the media are heralding 3D Printing as the next industrial revolution on a massive scale.

A recent visit to MAKERBOT, one of the few storefront operations at 928 Mulberry Street in New York City, provides a peek into the possibilities.  Imagine it and you can make it.  And I strongly suggest a visit.

The watch case and band on this post was made and purchased at the Makerbot store.  It's one of many items on sale.  The store can also scan your head and make a full replica of your head (shipped within a few days).

From time to time I will be posting on 3D Printing advances and the impact of the process (additive manufacturing) on the marketing world.

NOT YOUR FATHER'S 3D

3D Printing, or Additive Manufacturing, is on the leading edge of a massive revolution in manufacturing and distribution on a global scale.  The "cloud" that follows will provide a continuous update on news and events surrounding this disruptive technology.

THE DISRUPTER OF THE NEXT CENTURY

We are sitting on the brink of a new and huge industrial revolution that has been slowly gaining momentum over the last 25 years.

Additive Manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing, has crept along as the technology that drives it moved from a primitive stage to a more sophisticated base.

The potential applications to manufacturing, medicine, media, hobbyists and yes marketing are mind-bending.

The use of 3D printing takes virtual designs from computer aided design and transforms them into thin, virtual, horizontal cross-sections and then creates successive layers until the model is complete. It is a process where the virtual model and the physical model are almost identical.

Think like The Jetson’s.  The 1962 animated sit-com family popped a couple of buttons on what looked like today’s microwave oven and presto! the item they ordered appeared.  The reality of that futuristic animation has come to roost on our doorstep.

A personal 3D Printer can be had today for as little as $400 in kit form. More professional models start at about $1600.  Even Amazon sells them!

Today’s 3D printers have “printed” guitars, model planes with a 6 foot wingspan, human organs for clinical trials and are currently producing parts for jet fighters.  Limited only by our imagination, as these printers become more sophisticated and as common as a TV set in our home, you can bet that distribution and delivery channels will go through enormous upheaval.

Be prepared.  Everything in manufacturing will change as we know it today.

While the impact on marketing has yet to be determined, imagine the distribution of sampling through this new channel.

 That new toy for your child is only a few buttons away. Order the Computer Animated Design (CAD) specs for that toy online, download it to your 3D Printer and wait a few minutes.  Need a replacement part for a broken taillight on a classic 1957 Chevy?  Print it!

Investments in 3D Printing companies today will become the equivalent of Microsoft, Apple, IBM, etc. when they emerged as new businesses.

In 1439 the Gutenberg Press laid the basis for today’s knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses.  The 3D Printer is the disrupter that will revolutionize global economies through access to a world of product needs.  This will especially be the case for third world countries representing huge growth markets.

If you would like to explore the potential for 3D Printing as it relates to our marketing landscape, feel free to reach out to me at pbenjou@gmail.com.