Pack Printers, Not Parts

Outside of services, selling actual printers can be big business. There is a market for people who want to build their own replacement parts and tools on demand.
As the direction of the technology continues to signal even more affordable and user friendly printers that can create models faster and faster, some vendors have high hopes for the future of the industry.
Jim Buchanan, vice president of operations and general manager of 3-D Print Factory based in Maryland, says he believes 3-D printing could trigger "the next industrial revolution." As he describes, rather than ordering items to place in storage, or carrying equipment to use on jobs, people can just use printers to create the products or tools they need.
For example, some large ships and aircraft carriers are testing 3-D printers at sea. Rather than packing large, expensive replacement parts that take up space, packing 3-D printers capable of producing those parts on demand allows ships to save space and money.