Texas is a hotbed for high tech manufacturing companies, especially machine shops. Colter Crossley, who owns and operates Blackstone Solutions and Technologies, prides himself on being a successful small business in the heart of a highly competitive market.

As many brick-and-mortar stores are seeing sales drift online and websites like Kickstarter are helping to decide where the market is headed, personal manufacturing has moved from the wave of the future to a tool of production. The “Now Economy” has produced consumers that expect their goods to be high-quality and arrive quickly, which can sometimes be a challenge for traditional manufacturers.

Now that 3D printers have emerged as the tool-of-choice for many makers and educators, there seems to be a line drawn in the sand between CNC and additive manufacturing. Many manufacturers even worry that 3D printing may one day replace traditional manufacturing in the form of at-home production (perhaps sooner than we think).

From his Anaheim, California, machine shop, Tormach PCNC 1100 owner and motorcycle enthusiast Brian Carmichael manufactures OMNI-CRUISE, a universal throttle lock/cruise control that he designed to enhance the riding experience for motorcycle enthusiasts around the world.