VPI 3D tonearm

When 3d printing became economical enough for home users, I opinied that a tonearm would be a likely first audio use for 3d printing. the shapes and thicknesses are finely controlled, much more so than is available with casting or CNC machining and they could be built in one piece, except for the joint and base. Plus, they could be much more economical, in that a manufacturer didnt have to expend enormous sums on molds and stampers. Rega was able to expense that cost over hundreds of thousands of arms. SME has done so through both high cost and numerous units. But most others are a collection of machined parts, each of which creates a joint, whether bolted or welded. 3D printing at home uses polymers, but the same CAD program can be used on industrial 3D printers using metals.

3d's advantage is that is can be economically used for complex parts made at low volumes and the fact that changes to the design can be easily made without throwing out existing molds and tooling. Also, there is no change in tolerance due to worn tooling. Cartridge bodies are another prime use in the audio field, which Ortofon is already doing

I have no idea if the VPI tonearm is complex or not, or if it sounds good, but I do know that the 3D process allows for much more complex structures than casting or machining would allow. I also know, that after a given production, 3D printing is less economical. That production point depends on the cost of the tooling or molds required for other processes. However, that tooling or mold is required whether you build 10 or 10 thousand and can be prohibatively expensive to prototype, which is really the purpose of 3d printing, not mass production, at least yet. But, when you can tweak a design, and have a working prototype in a day, for little expense relatively, that allows a designer to try various options in something resembling their final form.
I just dont get why anyone would be down on Harry for building and selling turnables and arms when he could just as easily be buying stuff from China or making some other widget for Walmart to sell. Its his money, he takes all the risk, and is entitled to whatever profit he can derive. if you think you can do better, then take your own money, roll the dice and have at it.