I thought this was an interesting government initiative started in South Korea. Yesterday the South Korean government announced the formation of the 3D Printing Industry Development Council with the goal of putting South Korea at the forefront of this booming industry.
The press release announcing this initiative states:
“On June 18, officials at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning held its first meeting of “3D Printing Industry Development Council” and approved the master plan.
“According to the plan, the ministries will train 10 million professionals including students and future entrepreneurs on 3D printing, provide 3D printers in schools and offer them chances to make practical use of the printers in self-workshops on the spot.
“Also to expand 3D printing technology and to create its demand, the ministries will construct an innovative manufacturing support center in the Seoul metropolitan area and add more base centers related to the local industries . . .
To reinforce the 3D printer usage ability and expand the bases for the 3D printing industry, it plans to provide 227 3D printers in science halls and libraries and 5,885 printers to schools, approximately 50 percent of the total schools in Korea by 2017.”
It’s interesting and not terribly surprising to see the South Korean government taking this step. South Korea has been an early adopter of new technology, and I think it is still considered the most wired country in the world as in terms of internet connectivity. Without any significant natural resource, the South Korean economy has gravitated to high tech manufacturing and is home to successful companies such as Samsung, Hyundai and Daewoo. Last year the South Korean government established a new Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. This 3D printing initiative is an example of how the country is trying to position itself for future technology leadership.
I’ve often thought of 3D printing as technology with a far-reaching and disruptive impact in a similar vein to LENR. Of course 3D is printing much further ahead than LENR in being adopted commercially, and is now moving in the mainstream of society with major companies and startups alike seeing its potential and starting work to tap its vast potential. Every day we see new developments being reported in the news in the 3D printing field, and I am sure that there will be no slowdown in the technology’s adoption.
It will be interesting to see if LENR takes a similar trajectory once it is finally widely recognized as being a valid and viable technology. I can see forward thinking governments and companies seeing its potential and wanting to take a leadership role in adopting it. Could we see government ministries being established to promote and assist its adoption? I think it’s very possible.
And then I think of what will happen when 3D printing and LENR are combined. Cheap LENR power would make 3D printing (which is energy intensive) cheaper. And you could have 3D printers producing LENR components — making quite a compatible marriage. If we get to that point there will be all kinds of possibilities for home-base energy production and manufacturing which could transform societies and economies.
