When most people think of 3-D printing, they think of children’s toys, architectural models and other general services. The idea of 3-D printing being suitable for other things, such as making drugs, is something that will take many people by surprise, but contemporary eCommerce business solutions, like online design tools, make realistic.
The technology used for 3-D printing has been around since the 1980s, but it is only recently that it has become affordable for the mainstream, and that it has become sophisticated enough to explore more unusual uses. The biological applications of the technology – for things like custom prosthetics and drug making – are something that we are just starting to appreciate.
The applications of 3-D printing became truly apparent relatively recently when Aprecia Pharmaceuticals announced that the FDA had approved SPRITAM as a drug for the treatment of epilepsy. SPRITAM is the first drug to be manufactured using 3-D printing technologies.
Don Wetherhold, the CEO of Aprecia, said that SPRITAM is designed to offer patients who are struggling with other drugs an alternative choice, and to transform the way that patients experience medication. There are plans to make SPRITAM available on the markets early in 2016.

3-D Printed Drugs

Custom products and online product designer tools for that are nothing new. Ever since the explosive growth of the Internet and eCommerce in the 1990s it has been easy for consumers to get their own custom designs made. Until relatively recently, most custom product makers focused on simple things such as t-shirts, bags, hoodies and mouse mats.
As the web grew, other services, such as print on demand book publishing became more commonplace, and today, there are even stores that make custom sports equipment. One incredible example of the world of custom products is Gaynor Minden, the maker of custom ballet shoes.

A Perfect AudienceБ.

Gaynor Minden’s custom shoe business is a perfect example of finding a niche market and using the web to help cater to it. Every dancer’s foot is unique, and it is important that the dancer wears shoes that are designed exactly for their size and shape and the way that they move. Gaynor Minden understands this, and they have the ability to make shoes in 5255 different configurations. The customer supplies them with information about their feet, and then the company will make a custom-fit product with the perfect size, shape and angle of box, so that it fits the dancer exactly.

Making custom-fit shoes

Over the last few years, online design software has become an increasingly popular market, with consumers and small businesses looking to expand their repertoire by taking advantage of the chance to express themselves through custom products.
Unfortunately, there are many difficulties associated with custom product design. Customers typically want their custom products for a specific event, and this means that there is a time pressure associated with the design. Manufacturers must make a good faith effort to provide responses promptly, and to offer the customisations that the consumer requests in a timely fashion.

The Challenge of Communication

The difficulty that custom product designers face is that if they are offering design services for their customers then they may find it difficult to understand what the consumer is asking for. Most consumers lack the vocabulary to clearly communicate what they are looking for, and this means that the design process may require several iterations as the customer requests changes or corrections. This makes prompt responses all the more important, but can be frustrating for the consumer and a massive time sink for the designer.

Managing the Process

To date, companies have been taking one of two key approaches to product design, either allowing the customer to design their own products using online design tools, or having the sales team define the specification for the product while they are closing the sale with the customer. Allowing the sales team to dictate the design is problematic, because they often lack the expertise to say for certain whether the design the customer is asking for will work in practice, and whether it will look the way that the customer expects “in the real world”.
Using custom product designers puts the task of design in the hands of the consumer, and this means that the company is absolved of the responsibility to ensure that the product looks the way the customer expects. It also means that the customer gets exactly what they asked for, saving back-and-forth communication and the risk of the customer “settling” for a product that they didn’t really want. Today, the power is in the hands of the consumer.