A Swot Analysis of Household 3d Printing Technology

533 Words3 Pages
Strengths: • As well as generating profits from the sale of 3D printing machines for home use, companies will also be able to obtain large revenues from selling developed custom printing materials to the same consumers as re-occurring purchases. • 3D printing also has environmental benefits, and as well as generating less waste, the transportation of products can be eliminated with digital file transfers, allowing consumers to print objects themselves directly. • The introduction of 3D printers into the home environment would greatly affect the current consumerism culture, and provide users with greater freedom and individuality, in that dependence on manufacturers as part of the modern-day industrial supply chain can be reduced. Weaknesses: • Currently 3D printers are very expensive to make, which means machines sold are also priced very highly, and are currently unable to penetration the household market, for use within home environments. • Once 3D printers hit the home market, printed objects will be significantly easier to re-produce, copy, and pirate, and associated intellectual property laws will be easier to breach. • Beginner users, and users with no knowledge of, or without access to CAD modelling software, will be limited in that they will only be able to print objects downloaded from the internet, and will not be able to make use of the customization aspect of the technology and be unable to print their own designs. Opportunities: • 3D printers are very home and user friendly, in that they are well geared for desktops within home offices, and capable of printing complete physical components within hours. • As the additive manufacturing market becomes more efficient, manufactured 3D printers are becoming cheaper and more affordable for the home user. Currently, the cheapest printers are being retailed for under $1000, and if developments

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