Trend Home and distributed 3D printing decentralising manufacturing

Summary

The report sees 3D printers, which appeared in the late 1980s, as having grown into one of the most promising technologies for making goods. Though still relatively young, the technology is bringing major efficiency gains and greater product customisation in construction, cars, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and food. In medicine it is mainly used today for custom implants and prostheses, but it is expected to move toward bioprinting functional living tissue that can integrate with the body and help restore organs and bones. Production has been concentrated in a few countries because of economies of scale and the need for specialist staff, a pattern that could shift if international supply chains fragment faster. Physical goods face tariffs, logistics limits and delivery times, whereas digital design files can be shared instantly from one side of the globe to the other. The report expects printers to spread into homes as televisions and computers once did, used to repair appliances and furniture, make toys, print food or support school projects.