It's been a tense few months between the United States and many of its big trading partners. President Donald Trump's tariffs have targeted China, Canada, the European Union, and Mexico.
Those have, in many cases, triggered retaliatory tariffs, and American consumers are hearing: "we are going to wind up paying."
But you may find that a growing technology could provide a cushion from higher prices of those cheaply-made plastic goods we import from China. Instead of buying something made in China, say an action figure for your kid, you could push a button on your very own 3-D printer and make one at home.
Joshua Pearce is a professor of materials science and engineering at Michigan Technological University and joined Stateside to discuss how 3-D printing could help American consumers cut costs by producing their own plastic goods.
Listen above to find out what goods around your house are easily made on 3-D printers, how investing a few hundred dollars upfront could save you money in the long-run, and how the sharing community has improved and expanded the 3-D printing movement.
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