[briguy]

For the present time, 3D Printing is NOT revolutionizing the actual production of end products. However the decreased pricing and increased availability (3D printing has been available for a very long time at a high cost) of 3D Printing machines IS revolutionizing the very important part of the product life cycle....Design For Manufacture (DFM)[1].

Rapid Prototyping, Kanban, lean, agile, and other concepts that are revolutionizing software development were all concepts that developed in the Manufacturing world many years ago. 3D Printing is a very valuable tool for rapidly validating and testing designs....release early and often, get feedback, validate, etc.

Most products for the time being(once through the DFM process) will still get produced using traditional methods (Injection Mouldings, Castings, etc).

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_for_manufacturability