I haven't mentioned it here but in other threads I've talked about some people's notions that 3d printing is going to replace ALL manufacturing. It is not. It will find its place. Sebastian mentions some of them but there are always going to be dozens if not hundreds of other manufacturing methods that are better suited to producing a part than 3d printing. There is a reason we have a lot of different manufacturing methods and many of them are what Sebastian brings up, strength, durability and reliability. Others are tensile strength, ductility, friction coefficient, etc. With the advent of carbon fiber 3d printing we are seeing some of the concerns about strength subside a bit. But, you still have a carbon fiber part which has its inherent properties. If you want a strong part that does not share some of the other properties of carbon fiber, then a different manufacturing process, with a different material, might be better.

3d printing will find a place in a bunch of specific and niche markets, just like blow molding has or extrusion has. But it won't replace all of manufacturing and people need to stop thinking it will. It's just another tool in the tool kit. What it excels at is a device for rapid prototyping. It's given may of us a way to economically test an prototype a huge variety of concepts where once we had to hire a model builder or machine shop to produce part. That was extremely expensive and time consuming. Once you have a proof of concept with 3d printed prototypes, you can then go and have your "real" parts made.

I've used my 3d printer to replicate some turn latches on my boat. Some of the original 40-year old latches broke so I designed new ones that look like the old ones but with a few small improvements. The ABS printed parts I made are absolutely as strong and sound as the original parts and will probably outlast them. It depends on how the 3d printed part is used if you are concerned about the "anecdotal evidence" Sebastian brings up that is worth consideration. In my use as a latch, its strength and durability far exceeds the required parameters. So the best way to incorporate a 3d printer in your manufacturing workflow it to recognize it's short comings and design and print parts that utilize its "specific" outstanding capabilities.

We will continue to find uses for 3d printed parts, and uses that are superior to other manufacturing in specific ways. But it's a mistake to compare 3d printing to all other manufacturing 1:1 and then find fault in 3d printing. It's not intended to "replace" all other manufacturing methods, only augment them. It's a fantastic technology but not a silver bullet. If there is a better way to manufacture a part, use that better way. Then use 3d printers for the things that they do well. Between the two your wind up with very serviceable parts.