Will 3-D printers shake Royal Mail to its core?

Post by **britwrit** » 14 Nov 2012, 17:32

Obviously, we're still a few years away from having affordable 3-D printers being commonplace in homes. (And like the flying cars envisioned back in the 1950s, we might never get there.) That being said, if the average person can "print" out a lot of things they order instead of having them sent through the post, where do we go? There goes the foreseen big increase in parcels. What does everyone think?

One thought I've had is that Royal Mail needs to get in on the ground floor. Start small, because the technology isn't there quite yet, but I don't know? Plan for an Amazon-like site where you can print-to-order small stuff like headphones or books (the market share not taken up by Kindles and the like?)

Anyway, interesting article on it in The Irish Times: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/fin ... 16440.html

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 14 Nov 2012, 17:47

These technical,geeky,sciencey inventor people always annoy me...they never finish anything before they jump on to the next big project
The paper always jams on my printer,or it just won't "communicate" with my laptop,or it runs out of ink half way through,or it prints everything too small or too big.
I think we should finish perfecting the 2D printer before we move onto the 3D version.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 14 Nov 2012, 17:51

Until they get Star Trek type replicators then I don't think RM will have to worry about it.

Royal_Fail · Post by **Royal_Fail** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:00

DGP1 wrote:Until they get Star Trek type replicators then I don't think RM will have to worry about it.

3D printers aren't far off mate.

If they become mainstream in hand with online file sharing it could bring down many corporations.

Why pay £100 for some new trainers when you can grab the plans off pirate bay and make them with 3D printer its scary stuff.

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:14

Royal_Fail wrote:Why pay £100 for some new trainers when you can grab the plans off pirate bay and make them with 3D printer its scary stuff.

No it isn't because a pair of new trainers contains many different materials that all have to be sourced and fitted to the item.
You can't just throw a vague lump of plastic or rubber into a 3D printer and expect a usable pair of trainers to come out the other end.
All that will come out is a trainer shaped lump of plastic or rubber.
Who could be arsed sourcing all of the "ingredients" to make a working pair of trainers when you can pop onto the sportsdirect website and within a couple of clicks have them delivered,in the box ready to wear right to your door.
I don't want to design and build my own trainers,it's too much like hard work,i want as little interaction with my trainers as possible other than wearing them.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:17

Royal_Fail wrote:
DGP1 wrote:Until they get Star Trek type replicators then I don't think RM will have to worry about it.
3D printers aren't far off mate.

If they become mainstream in hand with online file sharing it could bring down many corporations.

Why pay £100 for some new trainers when you can grab the plans off pirate bay and make them with 3D printer its scary stuff.

I don't think so, just remember how many materials go into a pair of trainers.......you'd need to have all of them in the 'printer' just to make it work............so as I said, Star Trek replicator which makes all the materials internally is what you'd need.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Replicator" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal_Fail · Post by **Royal_Fail** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:34

I used the trainers as an example.....and the people sourcing all the materials to put them together will be same people that are making all the knock off gear now.

Technology is evolving at a rapid pace look at mobile phones from basic brick to a computer in the palm of your hand in space of 20 years? My smartphone has more processing power than my 6 year old laptop.

clashcityrocker · Post by **clashcityrocker** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:44

Will 3-D printers make it easier to dump your D2D?

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 14 Nov 2012, 19:51

Royal_Fail wrote:My smartphone has more processing power than my 6 year old laptop.

So does mine but what are you using to type this?
Smartphones fill a niche but they don't replace because typing on a phone and reading something on a 3inch screen are a pain in the arse.
3d printers will fill a niche,small businesses will make a bomb,as far as personal use is concerned they'll be fun for making single ingredient products but it when it becomes more bother to make something than just buy it,people will just buy it.
That's why supermarkets are full of already processed food rather than just shelves of ingredients.

Post by **britwrit** » 14 Nov 2012, 20:18

It's one of those things. Put aside the technology issues, no one's making a cheap (£800 or so really isn't cheap) at home 3-D printer right now because there's nothing to be made cheaply by them.

Still, if we're talking about the space of a decade or two, there's got to be some product that might provide a tipping point. I'm don't want to sound sexist here but if not sneakers, women's shoes? Or women's clothing? I was born in 1970 and I can remember almost every home back then having a sewing machine. My mother - who also had a full-time job - made her own dresses from commercial, store-bought patterns. So if you could download a design for £10, get the cloth or whatever for £5, that would be better than spending £30 on a store-bought blouse. (Wow -my apologies. Rereading it, that sounds really chauvinist but you know, something along that line....)

alloria · Post by **alloria** » 14 Nov 2012, 20:20

Perhaps Royal Mail will make a fortune delivering the reels of plastic fibre needed for the printers?

chidley · Post by **chidley** » 15 Nov 2012, 09:55

Can't make money from selling 3d printers, why buy one when u can print one off

alloria · Post by **alloria** » 15 Nov 2012, 11:16

chidley wrote:Can't make money from selling 3d printers, why buy one when u can print one off

With what?

fng · Post by **fng** » 15 Nov 2012, 15:01

You lot have lost me

..... 3D printers......making your own trainers.....from a printer....trainers....printers, sounds like witchcraft to me

i'm just going to lay down in a quiet room.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 15 Nov 2012, 17:08

fishtank wrote:These technical,geeky,sciencey inventor people always annoy me...they never finish anything before they jump on to the next big project
The paper always jams on my printer,or it just won't "communicate" with my laptop,or it runs out of ink half way through,or it prints everything too small or too big.
I think we should finish perfecting the 2D printer before we move onto the 3D version.

Get an electric one ft, the steam driven ones are out of date.

I've just bought a new one the old one was less than 3 years old, cost nearly 200 quid

ROYALMAILCHAT

Will 3-D printers shake Royal Mail to its core?

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