What 3-D Printing Could Mean for the World's Factory -- China
China / 3-D Printing
What 3-D Printing Could Mean for the World's Factory -- China
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Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg
By Marcus Chan | Bloomberg.com
It's easy to get caught up in the buzz around 3-D printing. It allows everyone from hobbyists to aerospace engineers to create customized products -- toys, prosthetics, even jet engine parts -- from the convenience of their home or office.
And while "disruption" is an overused word in the tech world, it's hard not to wonder how 3-D printing might affect global manufacturing and the country in the middle of it all: China.
Of course, not everyone is sold on the big promise of 3-D printers, which build objects by laying down thin layers of molten plastic, one on top of the next. In June, the South China Morning Post reported that billionaire Terry Gou called the printing technology "a gimmick." You might expect that from the founder of the world's largest contract manufacturer of electronics, the Foxconn Technology Group's Hon Hai Precision Industry, which has huge factories in China.