[Ozark Tom]

Commercial or military electronic equipment is designed modular for maintenance, but a majority of consumer electronics is based on sufficient service life until replacement. Well considered modules allow upgrade to overall performance with only a swap. But lock-in to a long term service and support contract often results in using antiquated equipment way past its prime.

A good example of this modular philosophy carried over into consumer goods is the desktop computer. But just as the previously common local repair shop for televisions have faded, such is the fate of computers.

What has not been considered yet is a disrupting technology allowing custom fabrication with best methods for one-off equipment, without the penalties currently embodied in a design-tooling-fabrication cycle. Aerospace innovators have already embraced 3d-cad-fab techniques.

[CowboyJay]

"What has not been considered yet is a disrupting technology allowing custom fabrication with best methods for one-off equipment, without the penalties currently embodied in a design-tooling-fabrication cycle. Aerospace innovators have already embraced 3d-cad-fab techniques."

I fully expect 3D printing to surpass CNC milling sometime in the next decade. So do most engineers I talk with. That's part of the reason companies are having trouble finding machinists. It's a dead-end trade, and the schooling may be less than a 4-yr degree, but it's still pricey.