Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 21 to 22 of 22

Thread: 3D print output

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
    Posts
    5,256

    Default

    Playing Devil's Advocate (no, not advocaat) - is the creation of a wax deskilled manufacture?

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    1,743

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by ps_bond View Post
    Playing Devil's Advocate (no, not advocaat) - is the creation of a wax deskilled manufacture?
    When it is part of that 3D printing mass-production, I would say yes. Once upon a time a car was made by a few people. Assembly lines were introduced so that engines and cars were assembled bit by bit. By de-skilling car builders, they became more individually expendable (and could also be paid less). Most car manufacturers today don't even have some kid screwing a bolt in, it's all automated and done by computer-driven robots.

    In jewellery, bench workers are currently skilled but if everything is printed, then the only stuff that needs doing is finishing and polishing which is not exactly in the same league in terms of skill. So instead of the jewellery business needing people with a minimum of two to three years of training, they can use a conveyor belt of minimum wage, untrained workers to finish off. And if it is wax printed, it could do away with the need for stone setters by using stone in casting.

    I'm not saying I think that 3D printing will spell the end of all skilled jewellery. Just as you can still buy hand-built cars, there will be people who want and are prepared to pay for such things. But I'd bet my life that within ten years what is currently the middle-range mass produced stuff which is still currently hand done (even if it's in third-world production-lines like Pandora's), which will follow the cheapo mass produced stuff and have barely the lightest of human touches. Because consumers are totally unable to tell the difference between stuff made by real artisans and factory stuff, the loss of skills will die almost unnoticed until it's too late. Look at all the 'handmade' cr@p passed off as artisanal on Etsy and you can see this is already happening.

    So yeah, creating a 3D file to print either in metal or wax takes skill and flair, but after that initial rendering, no, no skill I can see.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •