tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post4975766012412151190..comments2023-09-28T07:23:51.376-07:00Comments on ProjectPerko: MinifacturingCraig Perkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-51813185957105543912009-08-10T10:03:21.856-07:002009-08-10T10:03:21.856-07:00To a large extent, that's exactly the sort of ...To a large extent, that's exactly the sort of thing I'm thinking of. Any area where the market adds a big cost. <br /><br />Contractors are expensive, so for those that can do without them, there's savings to be had. Tested and regulated products are often more than three times the price that their manufacturing actually costs, so it's plausible to create open hardware variants that are cheaper, even though the home manufacturing is more expensive. And, of course, lots of things are just flat-out against regulations but can be safely built and used in private.<br /><br />These are the areas where minifacturing will have to grow, because it cannot compete in price and it may not be feasible for 10-20 years to create "smart customization" on the order where it becomes useful to most people.Craig Perkohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13173752470581218239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11758224.post-24319771920842010282009-08-10T09:54:08.849-07:002009-08-10T09:54:08.849-07:00Here's a possible vector for increased minifac...Here's a possible vector for increased minifacturing: consider a hypothetical product testing regulations (similar to the recent CPSIA) that add a high testing cost to small artisan sellers but doesn't apply to minifactured material (because you printed it yourself and have no intention of reselling it).<br /><br />Or on home improvement: what about plumbers or carpenters using it to extrude custom parts? Which would be a commercial rather than residential use.<br /><br />Obviously these things aren't practical under current technical and economic conditions, but it's interesting to speculate on how (or if) these things will ever get off the ground.Isaachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09981225682631417415noreply@blogger.com