After doing my research in the technology of additive manufacturing. I found that this technology is inevitably going to change and shape our future. From 3D printing organs to printing houses, this technology is here to stay. It is the way of the future, a brighter future for our society and the big rock we call home.
For this conjecture, I want to look at a completely closed-loop business. A business that prints a product and as those printed products get sold and new models come out, the older ones are returned, ground up, and used to print again. Americans discard over 12 million TONS of furniture each year, into the trash. A system that can grind up all materials that were printed extremely easily and cost-efficiently, then use that material to make a new product would alleviate some of this waste. This closed-loop would constantly be allowed to innovate and not worry about waste and the high costs associated with innovation in traditional factory settings.
This will allow a business to lower costs and even use other recycled materials in the beginning. Then when customers brought back old furniture, they would get an incentive to have a new piece printed.
The most popular time for buying new furniture is when you are moving or upgrading your home. If you had these closed-loop 3D printers all over the country, people could give their furniture back have it ground up, and then reprinted where they are moving too.
