[jedc]

Years ago I got to know a startup that effectively reverse-engineered the punchcard-like code necessary to run about half of the massive textile looms used in factories all over the world. Instead of needing to use the ancient systems / software that the loom ran, they built software that could effectively treat the loom as a printer.

It took them a while to find the right business model, but now they partner with huge brands to offer them textile customization AT SCALE, which previously was pretty much unheard of. - https://www.unmade.com/

[pvillano]

I remember there was a writeup here of a bottled water brand that created N algorithmically generated unique designs. If you're doing something that scales linearly - inkjet/laser printing, textile manufacturing, 3d printing, etc., why not make each item unique?