By: Bob McCarty
Bob McCarty Writes

Prediction: Americans will, within the next 10 years, begin designing and manufacturing their very own vehicles using in-home three-dimensional printing systems, services and consumables.

Why do I believe such an outlandish prediction?

For starters, it’s because others believe it, too!

Almost a month ago, someone predicted that, by 2013, the global market for 3D Printing systems, services and consumables will reach $782.6 million. In other words, they believe a lot of people and companies will be using rapid prototyping — a.ka., “3D printing” or “desktop manufacturing” — technology to design and “print” their own things up to and including objects the size of homes and buildings.

In addition, I believe home-based do-it-yourself manufacturing will happen because others, including President Barack Obama, are creating an environment within which it will be both feasible and necessary.

Yesterday, the president announced he plans to raise auto gas mileage standards to 39 miles per gallon for cars and cut the emission of greenhouse gases in what he called the start of the “clean energy economy.”

Because cars manufactured to the new higher-mpg, lower-emission standards will have to be smaller, it takes no stretch of the imagination to conclude that at-home DIY manufacturing of automobiles is definitely in our future — if, knock on wood, our economy survives.

Assuming our economy survives the Obama years, our next challenge will involve figuring out how to fit into the micro-cars cars we build.