I think everyone has heard the term âsupply chain crisisâ at this point. Manufacturing centers were first hit in late 2019 and most to the global lockdowns were in effect by the second quarter of 2020. It is now third quarter of 2022 and we are into year three of this âinterruptionâ, it is time to discard this outdated and frankly wrong from the start system of manufacturing and distribution. Americans in particular were already caught in a state of duality in which much of the public laments that nothing is made domestically, while also discarding anything made by local shops as âoverpriced hipster gearâ. I have previously stated that for true domestic production to return to America there would need to be enough demand for the products to cause more competition and drive the prices down as domestic supply increased.
That is the current situation as I see it, so now what do we do about it? In the last decade one particular technology has taken off, once a novelty and hyper expensive tool for industrial prototyping, 3D printers have become affordable, commonplace, and surprisingly capable. While still used by many to produce novelty items and in industrial roles, this technology is akin to the movable-type printing press of the mid-1400s in that it represents an upset to the established order if utilized effectively. Now before this is dismissed I am aware of the limitations of what can be printed at home. More exotic and expensive versions are used to produce high strength items. But this is where it gets interesting, because it isnât about everyone having a printer. Itâs about everyone using home printers to get a head start on skills, hobbies, and trades they couldnât afford to break into otherwise and then using those skills to work with each other.
Lathes or milling machines are both often said to be machines that make machines. 3D printers should be included in that list. Now there is nothing made on this machine that canât be done with other tools and methods, but few that allow the low cost of entry and ease within a home settings. Open source software and thousands of free files allow anyone and everyone to make tons of tools, dies, forms, jigs, stencils, etc. as needed. I've seen sheet steel stamped on dies made from common PLA on a cheap press from Harbor Freight, or even just stuck with hammers. My cousin makes brackets for electronics with an entry level printer while his wife makes custom cookie cutters for various events on the same machine.
And thatâs the thing about this, the broad range of applications combined with peopleâs varied and personal interests. With the addition of a chop saw and drill for extruded or tubular metal you can make strong supports for printed pieces to form a much larger machine. If you can make a drill press or milling machine, you can make a lathe, manually operated or CNC. Iâve seen people make large format CNC router tables that can quickly and efficiently cut and trim an entire sheet of plywood for assembly. If within a community most people have the ability to make their own simple plastic or resin tools and utensils, while someone has a garage metal shop, another a carpentry shop, a couple down the road a leather shop and sewing studio, someone else a pottery studio, even a small foundry for smelting and casting, you would have a far more self-reliant community than anything seen in a hundred years in much of the western world.
I was originally going to link a bunch of videos showing the possibilities and I still might add some later on about specific applications. But I really want everyone to give this some serious thought on their own. Is there a hobby or trade you are interested in but youâre concerned about the investment? Look at what the essential components are. Can the more complex ones be found used? The cheaper ones made at home? We, as in all of us, are in a massive web of unsustainable distribution and centralized manufacturing. I donât believe the key is to change where that center is, but to replace it with local and regional decentralized networks of skilled individuals whom own their own tools and shops.
