What 3D printing means for China, the world’s biggest factory
The main draw of #3Dprinting is to build custom or low-volume items that aren’t being mass manufactured, says Scott Crump of Stratasys. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that the mass manufacturing in China or Taiwan or Korea is going to go away,” he said during an interview at the Inside 3D Printing Conference in San Jose. “I think the pie is getting bigger.”
“With 3D printing, we’re expanding in the niches that aren’t covered,” he said. “This concept of bringing the manufacturing back local is a disruptor, but I don’t think it’s a disruptor where it necessarily reduces the total build in places like China.”