Can 3D Printing Save U.S. Manufacturing?

Key points

• 0:22

  Complex manufacturing systems involve many countries, making them vulnerable to tariffs that drive production away.

• 0:22

  Tariffs discourage participation in global supply chains because importing finished goods becomes too expensive.

• 0:22

  Current tariffs are reducing investment in physical plants within the United States.

• 0:59

  3D printing, or additive manufacturing, builds products layer by layer using a powdered substrate and laser.

• 0:59

  Traditional subtractive manufacturing starts with a block of material and whittles it down until the need is met.

• 0:59

  3D printing faces sharp limits when handling moving parts made of different materials.

• 0:59

  Printers capable of handling more than one type of material are very new, having appeared only in the last five to ten years.

• 0:59

  The speed of 3D printing is very slow compared to traditional manufacturing methods.

• 0:59

  3D printing is popular for prototyping because every prototype is unique and time limits do not matter.

• 0:59

  3D printing excels in applications where abnormal shapes rule, such as needing strength without weight.

• 0:59

  Aerospace and automotive industries already use 3D printers on production floors, though to a lesser degree.

• 0:59

  In mass application, traditional stamping can produce 100 products in the time it takes to make one 3D printed product.

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