The only thing I know is that this technology is moving very fast indeed. I believe that only one year ago a new method was developed to produce the needed ti powder at a much lower price level then normal. Same goes for the 3d printers themselves, their abilities increase\grown rapidly.

but what will happen when the price for these machines will drop to let's say usd 5.000 and they will drop as the patents involved are expiring and clubmakers will start using them? A clubmaker has no need to produce 4-6 million heads "only" a few hundred sets a year...That's what the industry should be ready to react to (imho).

Normally I am one to say "never say never", but in this case. . . . I'll say no way. These things have to have a CAD file to do what they do. Doubtful that many clubmakers would be proficient in high end CAD systems, much less be able to use a CAD program to know how to design a clubhead.

One other thing I did not mention in my last post when you offered some mech prop information on the titanium alloy material. Props like yield strength and modulus and all that are one thing, but the final grain structure of the metal for the part being made is super critical. Just like casting cannot offer the toughness and stress resistance as can forging because of the differences in the molecular grain structure of a cast vs forged metal, I can't believe any sintered metal could come close to the required toughness that a very thin wall driver head has to have to stand up to 2,000 to 4,000 psi of impact stress for over 10,000 hits.

In a world that loves to talk about "customization" this is just a pipe dream to think about any type of clubhead production for commercial sales to golfers with 3D printing. It's application in many other areas is far more probable.

Ping’s Director of Engineering Paul Wood was interviewed by golfalot.com at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, and fortunately he revealed all their 3D printing secrets....

After doing some research, the Ping engineers discovered that the layer-to-layer welding of a typical metal 3D printer actually results in great structural qualities. ‘So I asked what kind of material properties are we going to get, is it at least somewhat close to a cast product and he said, "no it is actually better, you actually get a stronger product" and that really blew my mind,’ Wood says. ‘The 3D printer does such a good job in welding the metals that you get the micro-structure that you need to produce a stronger product. ... You normally think of the weld line as being where something breaks because you are taking two bits of strong metal and you are welding them together and that is the weak point, but through material testing it has proved to be stronger than the cast equivalent.’....

Ping therefore set out to 3D print a G25 iron, and let a lot of contracted players test it extensively. ‘A lot of our players couldn’t tell the difference between the 3D printed product and the cast product, that’s how good quality it was,’ Wood revealed. Since then, they have worked on a 3D printed putter, that came out as a perfect product during just the first iteration.

Wood therefore envisions a future wherein players can approach the company for custom-made clubs with very specific stats – say a 9.9° driver, even though they usually come in at 10.5°. ‘That is where the imagination comes in as this is a brand new technology and it is really about where can we take this. We want to be the first ones in, so it means we are the first ones thinking about this and leading the development of this technology. It’s exciting; with the 3D printer I am confident that we can get to an even better place than where we are now,’ he says.