3D Printing Revolution

The promise of a 3D printer in every home replacing mass manufacturing has fizzled into a niche hobbyist market, with consumer printer sales declining 21% in 2023 per IDC data. Industrial applications, while growing at 12% annually, remain confined to prototyping and low-volume, high-value parts, not the full-scale disruption once touted. For instance, injection molding produces a plastic part in 0.01 seconds versus 3D printing's 30 minutes, making the latter uncompetitive for anything beyond specialized uses. This reality contrasts starkly with the predicted revolution, and it also trails #6's enduring store-of-value narrative in achieving mainstream adoption. The technology's real-world impact is far narrower than the hype suggests.