Unbeknownst to most people, 3D printing is a $20B business growing at 25%/year.  While most people haven’t used a 3D printer, or even thought about it, it’s really a lot like ChatGPT.  It’s a new technology on the scene that took 35 years to develop – and opens the door to enormous innovation, better business practices, lower costs, exciting new products and a whole lotta growth!  3D .printing is to the physical world what AI is to the information world.

This podcast overviews how 3D printing technology has become very cheap, and easy to use.  It overviews some of the thousands of applications, which can be hugely valuable for small and mid-size companies.  This is not just technology for big companies, but rather can be a breakthrough for small companies looking to develop new products, tests new customer segments, explore new solutions to old problems – or just keep you facility running in the face of aging equipment, occasional breakdowns, and slow supply chains.  All you need is a few hundred bucks and the willingness to experiment outside the box!

Thinking points:

Have you experimented with 3D printing for ANY application?
Do you have ideas for new products that you never test out because today you don’t know  how to make the thing affordably?
Would cutting prototyping time down 90% and the cost down 90% allow you to develop more products, enter more markets and grow your sales?
Do you have supply chain risks in your manufacturing, or in the equipment you use for manufacturing, that could be reduced by having the ability to make small runs very fast?  Or make unique parts very fast?

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