Very interesting post Eric. Didn't know that manufacturing (printing) car structure and parts on 3D printers was as nimble as the example in your post.
Some time ago I learnt that the Germany economy thrives on and because of the sophisticated machines they export to China which then uses them to manufacture the goods the rest of the world uses. As 3D printers evolve, will the US retain the technology that makes those machines or will they pass on that know-how to China so that a few American fat-cats can become fatter and the rest of the American population continue to lose their jobs as has been happening for some time. That assumes of course that China will continue to dominate only inferior and middle-level technology and the West will continue to monopolize more advanced industry and science. With China now manufacturing long distance passenger aircraft at a fraction of the price of Boeing, that argument comes into doubt. Wouldn't it be funny if one day, not too far away, China sits on top of the heap that the US and Europe once dominated and that US workers begin to work on the modern equivalent of work benches and carbon steel files that was the starting point of Chinese manufacturing. Technology will have come full circle. Roland Francis Toronto.
