When 3D printing goes into everyday life

Since the 2013 Victoria Secret Fashion Show (Victoria's Secret Fashion), supermodel Sai Allinson (Lindsay Ellingson) wears wings printed with 3D technology. This should be the most exciting thing about the 3D print world.

Combine sexy lingerie with one of the hottest new technologies of the moment.

Although the suit gives a feeling of being laid down and uncomfortable, it's not the point. Importantly, 3D printing is slowly moving from an application that makes aircraft parts or hearing-aid models to a technology designed for life.

3D printing goes into everyday life

3D printing is beginning to slowly walk into people's daily life, a 3D printing technology launched by the beginning of the change, it will be in the way we can not imagine, change our society. With the advent of 3D printing technology, thousands of new businesses will emerge with new ways of delivering and supporting property management processes, and a wave of finance and entrepreneurship, shrinking the size of the Internet and undermining its disruptive power.

The world will be transformed from a huge manufacturing supply chain into a micro-manufacturing supply chain, known as "distributed manufacturing (distributed manufacturing)", and the supply chain will no longer stretch thousands of of miles as before. By then, the production model is no longer a factory that produces 10 million dolls a month, but 10 million plants produce a doll every month, no longer outsourcing production tasks to overseas factories, your kitchen, garage or other places, where your 3D printer is placed, and that's your factory.

Today's desktop 3D printer can print out the phone shell, sunglasses, and your favorite coffee mug. In addition, you can use this new technology to make the most ideal in your heart but you do not have the money to produce jewelry, not only more convenient, but also cheaper.

Recently, CNN conducted a survey to compare the purchase and printing prices of 20 items, including corrective insoles, iphone shells, garlic presses, safety razors, dumpling models and spoon racks. It was found that it took 25 hours to print all 20 items, and the total cost of electricity and plastic material was $18. Compared to the purchase price, according to the quality of comparable retail products, 3D printing total savings of 294 U.S. dollars-1926 dollars.

Look at the practice of men's underwear brand

Shortly before, Nick Graham, founder of the men's underwear brand Joe Boxer, Nick Greheum a series of stainless Steelcompany mens accessories with 3D printing of start-up shapeways equipment. The 3D print wings used in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which was first mentioned in this article, are also made by Shapeways.

Shapeways uses 3D printing technology to help people turn their ideas into reality, making product design more convenient, personal and appealing. Graham believes that the Shapeways team in New York has made it possible for him to transform his work quickly and effectively into reality, a process that is the dream of every designer. The time required for prototyping is reduced from a few months to a few days without any advance purchase, just print on demand. In addition, Shapeways printing products and will be directly delivered to the merchant customers, so that the storage and supply chain other parts of the factory skin is also saved.

Change is beginning

What is the difference between our life and the traditional supply chain in the fashion and design industry because of the 3D printing technology?

In the 1942, Joseph Schumpeter, The Economist, created the phrase "creative destruction" to describe how the free market can move forward in a destructive way. The process of development may not be perfect, but the process is the same. Now, in addition to creative destruction, there may be no better example to describe the current situation in the 3D world. These three-bit businesses need to start looking at their products from digital transmission.

It's like when music downloads changed the music industry. The song was converted to digital data, and when it was played, it was the original song, but the way it was transmitted became code. And the product is moving in a similar direction. Mattel (Mattel) may eventually stop making toys, instead selling Barbie's print files. The consumer pays the corresponding fee, downloads and prints the effect chart.

Some industry insiders expect that by 2025, 10% of all consumer products will be finished by 3D printing. That's why consumer brands need to be more compelling. Because, with the help of 3D printing technology, tens of thousands of designers will be able to produce a large number of products, and skip the traditional production and distribution forms. There will be tens of thousands of toy companies competing with Mattel. The internet is a place where people can become famous overnight, so Justin Bieber, the 3D world, will come Bieber sooner or later.

Many traditional business models have been subverted by the Internet. Retailers, once the dominant party, have now lost their edge. 15 years ago, no one would have thought that retailers such as Tower Records and blockbuster (Blockbuster) would disappear, but that was true. And now, not be 3D print also touch the entity product area, but the change is not far.

So, what does this have to do with the fashion industry? First, the production process of items such as jewellery and accessories will suffer the brunt of the impact. Although the world will not be changed overnight, it will still cause great impact. By using the technology of shapeways and other enterprises, designers around the world will be able to go directly to the market and leapfrog the traditional channels to compete on a global scale.

The goal of using 3D printing technology to produce clothes that make people comfortable can be a little distant, but not remote. In the future, clothes made from 3D printing technology may be softer and more resilient than any fabric-made clothing. 3D printing technology will not subvert the fashion industry, because the world to make a lot of clothing, but it will also impact on the fashion industry.