There was a time when we got bread from the baker around the block and clothes from our local tailor. Our CEO Avi Reichental’s grandfather was a cobbler who catered to nearby customers, providing custom-built shoes for specific feet. But somewhere in the industrial revolution, this kind of localized commerce and the craftsmanship that it thrived on was washed out. (Image via blog.ted.com)
But considering the current capabilities of 3D printing, as well as those on the horizon, Avi recently shared with a TED audience that he sees a return to our manufacturing heritage and a renaissance of custom workmanship. We are, he says, going into a “new era of localized, distributed manufacturing” and accomplishing a new quality of life with the freedom and economy that 3D printing affords.
Click here to read more about Avi’s TED talk and hear about the ways that 3D printing is enabling this new manufacturing paradigm in industries like healthcare, entertainment and fashion.