If It Prints, It Ships: 3D Printing and the Postal Service [pdf]

Re:If It Prints, It Ships: 3D Printing and the Postal Servi... by golemotron on Thursday July 24, 2014 @07:19PM (#8082915)

The only way this is a win for the USPS is if the quality difference between commercial and personal 3D printers remains high. I don't think it will for long for most goods, but if it does local printers you drive to will be the winners.

Expect the 3D equivalent of Kinkos and a resurgence of big box brick and mortal retail, albeit in a radically different form.

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Re:If It Prints, It Ships: 3D Printing and the Postal Servi... by smoyer on Friday July 25, 2014 @06:24AM (#8084479)

+1 - 3D printers serve two markets: production of prototype quantities and the immediate gratification of "having this part now". The larger of those two goals pretty much precludes adding shipping time to the process, and the increasing ubiquity of 3D printers is making shipping unnecessary.

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Re:If It Prints, It Ships: 3D Printing and the Postal Servi... by sp332 on Thursday July 24, 2014 @10:06PM (#8083458)

Or if you just don't have room for a 3d printer in your apartment, or your landlord won't let you install proper ventilation.

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