“3d Printing Will Be Able to Mature in Places Where Production Infrastructure Is Broken”

Lyndsey Lewis is the co-founder of Reflow, which converts recyclable plastic into 3D print filaments using open source technology. We recently re-published her thoughts on why 3D printing is interesting for women. Today, we look at another of her insights on this technology, which like the other one are valid for any kind of Digital DIY.

The profits of Reflow go to stabilize the income and working conditions of waste collectors and help build local economies and manufacturing capability in the regions where we work. It also keeps plastic bottles out of landfills, off the streets, from being burned, or in our oceans. When asked (full interview is here) what she finds particularly interesting about the 3D printing industry, Lewis gave the following answer:

"it’s silly that 3D printing has been dubbed the next industrial revolution, but that it’s only directed at a small portion of the world population. I think 3D printing offers huge opportunities in developing regions. It will be able to mature in places where production infrastructure is broken in the same way that mobile banking did because of broken banking infrastructure."

Let's discuss those opportunities at our Final Conference!