The United States Postal Service has been struggling for some time now. With the rise of the fax machine, then the email, and the competition from a parade of ambitious courier services, it has been an uphill battle for Benjamin Franklin’s brainchild to hold on to relevance. For many people, the post office has become a dated relic that fills their mailboxes with garbage. Now, however, the post office is looking to take a page out of the book of our Seattle 3D printing company and embrace the power of the 3D printer.
The concept is simple: by partnering with 3D printing businesses and serving as a first-and-last-mile delivery service, the post office could increase its package delivery exponentially. With the projected explosion of the 3D printing market, this could lead to an estimated $485 million in profits for the postal service.
To implement this idea, the post office has a lot going for it. Most of the tools are already off the shelf, with their current manpower and facilities. All they need to do is set up an appropriate platform for 3D printing that would allow companies to take proper advantage of their services, sending designs to the platform, printing them out at the post office, and then shipping them via same-day or next-day delivery.
Should this system be successful, the possible benefits are many. Not only could it save the postal service, but it could make the world of 3D printed products more available to the average American.
