Over supply and ecology in the 3d economy

considerations

The ecological considerations of 3d printers and personal manufacturing hinge on over supply.  Oversupply quickly becomes obsolote as people gain the ability to produce items of their choice.   People can simply load a blueprint and produce the items that they need.    Oversupply is a deep issue that is built on the entire concept of owning and operating stores in physical space.   Currently items need to be manufactured at remote locations, often globally and shipped to retailers before arriving at the consumers doorstep.    This results in urban sprawl as specialty stores arise to carry and stock these products.  Supply chain issues of oversupply result in much of the end products being turned directly into waste.   Many items remain unsold and certainly unused while sitting on a stores shelves.  

Transport

The problem of over supply affects transport as the net effect of oversupply is a huge number of people employed in the retail sector.   Aside from the casualties in design productivity, these retail supply centers consume massive quantities of energy for heat, lighting as well as raw materials in terms of building supplies.    Fuel to transport goods is increasingly expensive and destructive to the environment.   The amount of infrastructure required to meet the oversupply model is astronomical in nature.  

Jobs

The economy is already in a huge transitional crisis as a result of changing needs and production efficiencies.   Instead of reaching the utopian dream of the two day workweek we have created a schism between the unemployed and the employed.   The housing crisis highlights what happens when a base commodity such as housing is overproduced.   Work as we know it is changing.   While many people will struggle with this transition, others will find work in the telecommuting industry.   The big market that 3d printers will create will be in design.  Artists, engineers and casual users will have the ability to create an entirely new level of customization in their belongings.    The need to create is an important factor in the transition to the information economy.   Obviously materials engineering and related technologies will remain in high demand.   While the tasks and skill sets may change, there is always the drive for self expression that will create new and higher artistry in the career paths.

Ultimate Potentials - 3d printing and manufacturing

The ultimate potentials in 3d printing are in the ability to remove huge quantities of unnecessary infrastructure, massively increase production efficiencies of individuals and to reduce the need to compete for more stuff to a need to produce better stuff that fits a person’s lifestyle choices well.   The longevity of goods should increase dramatically as ingenuity is applied to these problems and the long term effect will be a reduction in resources consumed rather than one of over production.

Yes there are some real problems to be solved, but banning 3d printers is a short term solution.  Instead analyze the problem at its core and then work on determining the best way to deal with the remaining issues.   Issues of recycling are always on the table, the first step is to change the method of production and distribution.