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As a (very) long time and hardcore Mac user and developer, I quickly thought about a nicer, cleaner and faster way to produce GCode and eventually print objects than ReplicatorG and Skeinforge.
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A recent post by Core77 described how 3D printers are being used to produce one-off fashion shoes. While we are somewhat skeptical of the fashion score of these particular heels, the idea is interesting: print a newly designed pair of shoes each time you go out; recycle the material into a new pair for the next evening!
We suspect the number of 3D shoe designs might be exhausted within a few months, but on the other hand, there is Imelda.
Here's the interesting thing: the shoe-printing idea seems to have spread beyond the tech space. We noticed a followup article posted on "Diary of a Smart Chick", in the "Fashion" category, where writer Kathryn Vercillo muses on the amazing ability to create fashion right in your own home:
These printers have come down in cost enough to be accessible to small and mid-sized businesses today. Wouldn’t it be neat if they eventually come down in price far enough that individual people like you and me could have these types of printers in our homes. One product that we might want to design and print could be shoes.
Could we be seeing the leading edge of 3D printing knowledge starting to hit the mainstream?
Via Diary of a Smart Chick, Core77
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But let's assume these and other issues are eventually solved. You have a quality printer, a great design and you can rapidly print out your item.
It's still not China.
That's because the unit price of printing items yourself will never approach the low cost levels of Chinese manufacturers. Your printer will be idle for much of the day, while Chinese equipment efficiently spins 24 hours per day, tended by low-cost staff, producing items at extremely low cost. Home printing can never match China on cost.
And that's the tradeoff we're all faced with: Design choice but expensive, or Inexpensive with limited choice. Choose one.
Image Credit: Joi Via Wikipedia under CC Attribution 2.0 Generic
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It's entirely possible! Two 2009 films nominated made extensive use of 3D printing in their productions: Avatar, nominated for Best Picture of the Year among others, and Coraline, nominated for Best Animated Feature Film.
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As the 3D printer market grows, the sales model changes, too. At first we see manufacturers selling directly, but once established they expand their coverage by partnering with hardware resellers. Resellers are a very effective way to market products within a fixed geographical area because they can be much more attuned to local conditions and practices. Recent talk indicates a growing trend towards resellers. ;)
During the course of your 3D object design, you might require some knowledge you don't have, or perhaps have forgotten. Don't worry - there's a free service you can use to catch up: The Khan Academy. The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit organization with the mission of providing a high quality education to anyone, anywhere. We have 1000+ videos on YouTube covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and finance which have been recorded by Salman Khan.
Enjoy!
Via The Khan Academy
ProMetal is an innovative manufacturing company that uses advanced techniques such as additive manufacturing to get an edge. In a wide-ranging interview and analysis, RapidToday profiles ProMetal and their recent challenges:
It seems that selling 3D items to consumers is not straightforward.
Meanwhile, it turns out that ProMetal is developing ways to print glass items with 3D printing. We've written about this before, but according to RapidToday, "none appear to be as far along as ProMetal, which has been working on the process for over a year." Check out the glass vase above (hand glazed).
Finally, ProMetal is developing their own 3D printer, the M-Print, intended to be released this year. The M-Print is intended for low-cost metal 3D printing, including iron and bronze and should be far less expensive than high-end competitors who focus on specialized materials or processes.
Via RapidToday
