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Jan 2, 2019 · 27m · a16z

a16z Podcast | The Next Phase of 3D Printing

Tom Reichert · 7m spoken Sonal Chokshi · 5m spoken
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In this episode of the a16z podcast, host Sonal Chokshi speaks with Corrine (Shapeways) and Tom Reichert (a16z) about the transition of 3D printing from rapid prototyping to full additive manufacturing. They analyze software abstractions, supply chain disruptions, digital intellectual property models, and hyper-personalized medical breakthroughs shaping the future of physical product creation.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. The host holds 21.5% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

The host as informed peer 4.4 Guest teaching 2.7 Guest disagreement 1.6 The host pushing back 2.7
05100:0010:0020:001:52–5:20 · The host as informed peer 2/10 Rapid Product Development and Long-Tail Customization Sonal sets the broad stage regarding rapid prototyping vs traditional manufacturing. Corrine and Tom explain foundational long-tail product dynamics and rapid MVP development in a cooperative manner.5:20–9:01 · The host as informed peer 5/10 Overcoming Design Literacy and Software Constraints Sonal demonstrates strong product knowledge by citing Paper 53 Mix and Pinterest as analogies for remixing vs starting from a blank page. Corrine details CAD software physics constraints and material limitations.9:01–11:48 · The host as informed peer 4/10 Digital Rights Management and Opening Intellectual Property Sonal directly challenges Corrine's premise about corporate IP, asking why established companies would open IP beyond avoiding looking old-school. Corrine defends the practice by citing customer feedback loops and lower iteration costs.11:48–13:54 · The host as informed peer 3/10 Long-Term Supply Chain Impact and On-Demand Parts Sonal prompts on supply chain implications, prompting Tom to distinguish between printing form vs functional parts. Corrine provides an example of replacement synthesizer parts.13:54–17:16 · The host as informed peer 8/10 Machine Scalability, Parallel Fabrication, and Industrial Clusters Sonal displays peak expertise by quoting Autodesk CEO Carl Bass on 3D printing scale economics and later comparing multi-printer parallel fabrication to the semiconductor industry's shift to VLSI design.17:16–20:13 · The host as informed peer 4/10 Timeless Inventory Economics vs. Pop Culture Trends Corrine highlights timeless inventory data, but Tom dissents, noting that pop culture and fashion trends remain real-time driver constraints regardless of digital availability. Sonal agrees and adds a cultural reference to support Tom.20:13–22:38 · The host as informed peer 5/10 Consumer Preference for Tinkering vs. Creating From Scratch Sonal pushes back on the industry narrative glorifying maker culture, arguing consumers rarely want to create from scratch. Corrine agrees and clarifies that users want to tweak and tinker rather than author blank slate designs.1:52–5:20 · Guest teaching 3/10 Rapid Product Development and Long-Tail Customization Sonal sets the broad stage regarding rapid prototyping vs traditional manufacturing. Corrine and Tom explain foundational long-tail product dynamics and rapid MVP development in a cooperative manner.5:20–9:01 · Guest teaching 3/10 Overcoming Design Literacy and Software Constraints Sonal demonstrates strong product knowledge by citing Paper 53 Mix and Pinterest as analogies for remixing vs starting from a blank page. Corrine details CAD software physics constraints and material limitations.9:01–11:48 · Guest teaching 2/10 Digital Rights Management and Opening Intellectual Property Sonal directly challenges Corrine's premise about corporate IP, asking why established companies would open IP beyond avoiding looking old-school. Corrine defends the practice by citing customer feedback loops and lower iteration costs.11:48–13:54 · Guest teaching 2/10 Long-Term Supply Chain Impact and On-Demand Parts Sonal prompts on supply chain implications, prompting Tom to distinguish between printing form vs functional parts. Corrine provides an example of replacement synthesizer parts.13:54–17:16 · Guest teaching 2/10 Machine Scalability, Parallel Fabrication, and Industrial Clusters Sonal displays peak expertise by quoting Autodesk CEO Carl Bass on 3D printing scale economics and later comparing multi-printer parallel fabrication to the semiconductor industry's shift to VLSI design.17:16–20:13 · Guest teaching 4/10 Timeless Inventory Economics vs. Pop Culture Trends Corrine highlights timeless inventory data, but Tom dissents, noting that pop culture and fashion trends remain real-time driver constraints regardless of digital availability. Sonal agrees and adds a cultural reference to support Tom.20:13–22:38 · Guest teaching 3/10 Consumer Preference for Tinkering vs. Creating From Scratch Sonal pushes back on the industry narrative glorifying maker culture, arguing consumers rarely want to create from scratch. Corrine agrees and clarifies that users want to tweak and tinker rather than author blank slate designs.1:52–5:20 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Rapid Product Development and Long-Tail Customization Sonal sets the broad stage regarding rapid prototyping vs traditional manufacturing. Corrine and Tom explain foundational long-tail product dynamics and rapid MVP development in a cooperative manner.5:20–9:01 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Overcoming Design Literacy and Software Constraints Sonal demonstrates strong product knowledge by citing Paper 53 Mix and Pinterest as analogies for remixing vs starting from a blank page. Corrine details CAD software physics constraints and material limitations.9:01–11:48 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Digital Rights Management and Opening Intellectual Property Sonal directly challenges Corrine's premise about corporate IP, asking why established companies would open IP beyond avoiding looking old-school. Corrine defends the practice by citing customer feedback loops and lower iteration costs.11:48–13:54 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Long-Term Supply Chain Impact and On-Demand Parts Sonal prompts on supply chain implications, prompting Tom to distinguish between printing form vs functional parts. Corrine provides an example of replacement synthesizer parts.13:54–17:16 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Machine Scalability, Parallel Fabrication, and Industrial Clusters Sonal displays peak expertise by quoting Autodesk CEO Carl Bass on 3D printing scale economics and later comparing multi-printer parallel fabrication to the semiconductor industry's shift to VLSI design.17:16–20:13 · Guest disagreement 3/10 Timeless Inventory Economics vs. Pop Culture Trends Corrine highlights timeless inventory data, but Tom dissents, noting that pop culture and fashion trends remain real-time driver constraints regardless of digital availability. Sonal agrees and adds a cultural reference to support Tom.20:13–22:38 · Guest disagreement 2/10 Consumer Preference for Tinkering vs. Creating From Scratch Sonal pushes back on the industry narrative glorifying maker culture, arguing consumers rarely want to create from scratch. Corrine agrees and clarifies that users want to tweak and tinker rather than author blank slate designs.1:52–5:20 · The host pushing back 1/10 Rapid Product Development and Long-Tail Customization Sonal sets the broad stage regarding rapid prototyping vs traditional manufacturing. Corrine and Tom explain foundational long-tail product dynamics and rapid MVP development in a cooperative manner.5:20–9:01 · The host pushing back 2/10 Overcoming Design Literacy and Software Constraints Sonal demonstrates strong product knowledge by citing Paper 53 Mix and Pinterest as analogies for remixing vs starting from a blank page. Corrine details CAD software physics constraints and material limitations.9:01–11:48 · The host pushing back 6/10 Digital Rights Management and Opening Intellectual Property Sonal directly challenges Corrine's premise about corporate IP, asking why established companies would open IP beyond avoiding looking old-school. Corrine defends the practice by citing customer feedback loops and lower iteration costs.11:48–13:54 · The host pushing back 1/10 Long-Term Supply Chain Impact and On-Demand Parts Sonal prompts on supply chain implications, prompting Tom to distinguish between printing form vs functional parts. Corrine provides an example of replacement synthesizer parts.13:54–17:16 · The host pushing back 2/10 Machine Scalability, Parallel Fabrication, and Industrial Clusters Sonal displays peak expertise by quoting Autodesk CEO Carl Bass on 3D printing scale economics and later comparing multi-printer parallel fabrication to the semiconductor industry's shift to VLSI design.17:16–20:13 · The host pushing back 2/10 Timeless Inventory Economics vs. Pop Culture Trends Corrine highlights timeless inventory data, but Tom dissents, noting that pop culture and fashion trends remain real-time driver constraints regardless of digital availability. Sonal agrees and adds a cultural reference to support Tom.20:13–22:38 · The host pushing back 5/10 Consumer Preference for Tinkering vs. Creating From Scratch Sonal pushes back on the industry narrative glorifying maker culture, arguing consumers rarely want to create from scratch. Corrine agrees and clarifies that users want to tweak and tinker rather than author blank slate designs.

speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · the host 38.9% · guest 61.1%0:00 · the host 38.9% · guest 61.1%3:00 · the host 6.4% · guest 93.6%3:00 · the host 6.4% · guest 93.6%6:00 · the host 15.1% · guest 84.9%6:00 · the host 15.1% · guest 84.9%9:00 · the host 19.1% · guest 80.9%9:00 · the host 19.1% · guest 80.9%12:00 · the host 22.5% · guest 77.5%12:00 · the host 22.5% · guest 77.5%15:00 · the host 18.7% · guest 81.3%15:00 · the host 18.7% · guest 81.3%18:00 · the host 40.1% · guest 59.9%18:00 · the host 40.1% · guest 59.9%21:00 · the host 7% · guest 93%21:00 · the host 7% · guest 93%24:00 · the host 23.1% · guest 76.9%24:00 · the host 23.1% · guest 76.9%27:00 · the host 100% · guest 0%27:00 · the host 100% · guest 0%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 18:58 Tom rejects elimination of seasonality

Tom forcefully dissents from the idea that 3D printing removes seasonality, pointing out that pop culture and fashion trends dictate market demand regardless of perpetual digital availability.

 Hardest push from the host ▶ 10:52 Host demands clear ROI for opening corporate IP

Sonal refuses to accept the argument that brands open up IP just to avoid looking old-school, pressing Corrine on what tangible business value companies actually receive.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 18:58 Re-anchoring market demand to pop culture realities

Tom corrects the host and guest assumptions about timeless inventory by re-grounding the conversation in real-world fashion and consumer behavior dynamics.

 The host holds their own ▶ 14:59 Host maps parallel printing to semiconductor VLSI revolution

Sonal demonstrates notable technical domain depth by synthesizing Tom's multi-core printing concept into a precise historical analogy with semiconductor VLSI design.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicThe host as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementThe host pushing backWhy
Rapid Product Development and Long-Tail Customization 2311 Sonal sets the broad stage regarding rapid prototyping vs traditional manufacturing. Corrine and Tom explain foundational long-tail product dynamics and rapid MVP development in a cooperative manner.
Overcoming Design Literacy and Software Constraints 5312 Sonal demonstrates strong product knowledge by citing Paper 53 Mix and Pinterest as analogies for remixing vs starting from a blank page. Corrine details CAD software physics constraints and material limitations.
Digital Rights Management and Opening Intellectual Property 4226 Sonal directly challenges Corrine's premise about corporate IP, asking why established companies would open IP beyond avoiding looking old-school. Corrine defends the practice by citing customer feedback loops and lower iteration costs.
Long-Term Supply Chain Impact and On-Demand Parts 3211 Sonal prompts on supply chain implications, prompting Tom to distinguish between printing form vs functional parts. Corrine provides an example of replacement synthesizer parts.
Machine Scalability, Parallel Fabrication, and Industrial Clusters 8212 Sonal displays peak expertise by quoting Autodesk CEO Carl Bass on 3D printing scale economics and later comparing multi-printer parallel fabrication to the semiconductor industry's shift to VLSI design.
Timeless Inventory Economics vs. Pop Culture Trends 4432 Corrine highlights timeless inventory data, but Tom dissents, noting that pop culture and fashion trends remain real-time driver constraints regardless of digital availability. Sonal agrees and adds a cultural reference to support Tom.
Consumer Preference for Tinkering vs. Creating From Scratch 5325 Sonal pushes back on the industry narrative glorifying maker culture, arguing consumers rarely want to create from scratch. Corrine agrees and clarifies that users want to tweak and tinker rather than author blank slate designs.

Statements from this episode (7)

Assertion Not checkable as stated
Reichert: 3D printing creates stronger, lighter geometries impossible with traditional manufacturing
“Yeah, and I think one thing that's very unique about three D printing is that you can print the simplest objects to the most complex objects. It's all the same to the three D printing system. So you can print things that before could never have been manufactur…”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 1:23
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Reichert: Personalized manufacturing will move from hobbyists into mainstream products
“Ultimately this could become not just kind of a cottage industry, but it, it's the way I think mainstream products are going. I mean, you look at products that Nike offers where you can personalize all sorts of aspects of your shoe. It's not three printed per …”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 4:58
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Reichert: The core 3D printing workflow will evolve into 'rip, mod, fab'
“So I think in three D printing now, it's going to be like kind of rip, Mod fab, right? You know, like how do you scan in a design or take a design that's already there? How do you modify it? And then how do you fabricate it?”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 9:15
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Reichert: Long-term advances in on-demand 3D printing will disrupt FedEx and UPS
“Yeah, I think if you look at the long, long term, I actually would be short on FedEx and UPS. You know, like, rather than having to ship things around the world on airplanes, it wouldn't be great just to download the design and print it out, you know, right wh…”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 11:49
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Reichert: Software-driven parallel printer clusters will enable printing large complex parts
“It may be the case that you'll have a cluster of three D printers and you'll have software that farms out the, you know, big complex part into many printers and they'll all work in parallel and kind of proceed to output pieces and they'll be reassembled. So th…”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 14:42
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Reichert: Co-located industrial clusters will emerge for short-run 3D printed products
“I'm starting to see signs that are going to be these kind of industrial clusters, kind of like a little kibbutz of companies doing these kind of artisanal products. And so you're going to have people in the same, under the same roof, you know, like these littl…”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 16:50
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Reichert: 3D printing is shifting from plastic trinkets to functional objects
“Today, we've often focused on printing objects with form mostly plastic trinkets, and now it's starting to be printing objects with function, right?”
Tom Reichert Jan 2, 2019 ▶ 25:24
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