A couple of comments. First, I wonder how the copyright will shape up for this kind of things. When they become ubiquitous, will a Mercedes still be a Mercedes part if it's downloaded? And will you have to pay a licencing fee to use it? Will we see a ground-up reimplemented Open-Mercedes?
Before you think this is science fiction, think about the current market in spare parts. Far too often you have to pay 100+ for a piece of plastic or metal of a certain shape. The moment the price for such parts gets under 100-200, you will actually be able to re-build your car radiator in the service cheaper then ordering it from the producer. Customized and upgraded too, if you want it.
Which will cut into a huge source of income for producers - and open up one for enterprising repair shops. Both industries who care about money and don't shy to show it. It will be interesting.
Yeah, I was wondering the exact same thing about copyright. Given the current state of copyright law, it seems like it might be of dubious legality to take a carefully engineered and manufactured part and duplicate it at the press of a button. In much the same way as the advent of digital distribution of music (and video, books, etc.) made the music industry crack down on file sharing, are we going to see producers of engineered products attempt to shut down technology such as this when it becomes more widely available and cheap?
Not even for premium parts, but just for everyday items. Coat hangers, hooks, cups, stands, all those random little plastic connectors that are sold at huge margins. Heck, even plastic army men, or miniature figures for various board games. It will be really interesting how this plays out...
Before you think this is science fiction, think about the current market in spare parts. Far too often you have to pay 100+ for a piece of plastic or metal of a certain shape. The moment the price for such parts gets under 100-200, you will actually be able to re-build your car radiator in the service cheaper then ordering it from the producer. Customized and upgraded too, if you want it.
Which will cut into a huge source of income for producers - and open up one for enterprising repair shops. Both industries who care about money and don't shy to show it. It will be interesting.