A recent post by John Vanston in VentureBeat proposes that 3D printing (or “Advanced Digital Manufacturing (ADM)” as they term it) is a Minitrend “particularly applicable to large companies.” Vanston has written a book, “MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover Profit From Business & Technology Trends”. He says: Advanced digital manufacturing (ADM) processes build… Continue reading 3D Printing is a Mini-Trend
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More Interest In 3D Printing Companies
Maybe it was the Economist article, or perhaps the recent run-up in 3D printing company stocks, but there seems to be growing interest in the industry from the general public. We read an article recently that seems to be directing investors towards the industry. Seeking Alpha performs a great breakdown on the two publicly… Continue reading More Interest In 3D Printing Companies
CNN Reports on 3D Printing Human Skin
A report today in CNN describes the incredible work being done to assist injured soldiers. While many types of injuries occur overseas, one of the most common is burned skin – evidently 5-20% of all combat injuries. A new initiative attempts to rebuild skin damaged in this way using 3D print technology. The approach… Continue reading CNN Reports on 3D Printing Human Skin
The Economist on 3D Printing
Is this the big time for 3D Printing? If it’s the cover story on The Economist, perhaps so. The article describes the history and concept of 3D printing, but then goes on to suggest that 3D printing is now being used for finished parts rather than simply prototypes. This could lead, they say, to… Continue reading The Economist on 3D Printing
3D Food Printing on CNN
We’ve just been informed that CNN has a piece focused on 3D food printing. Reporter Laurie Segall interviews French Culinary Institute Chef David Arnold, who’s been experimenting with a Fab@Home printer, specially modified for printing food items. Not yet any food ingredients, but “any form of paste” as Arnold explains. Arnold says they’ve experimented with cake… Continue reading 3D Food Printing on CNN
3D Printing In The News
This week saw not one, but two big media splashes for 3D Printing: First, a New York Times article introduced the topic to their readers, and secondly (perhaps triggered by the NYT article) MakerBot chief Bre Prettis was interviewed live on CNN in front of (presumably) millions. There was also a brief mention in Scientific… Continue reading 3D Printing In The News
3D Printing Featured On Science Friday
Science Friday’s Flora Lichtman visits 3D Printer designer Jim Smith and his extraordinary new device at his workshop. Erm, his living room. Now we finally understand why Jim decided to include a fume extractor on his printer! Jim explains in basic terms what a 3D printer does and how it works, pointing out the… Continue reading 3D Printing Featured On Science Friday
3D Printing Timelines
TeamTeamUSA prepared two very cool timelines on Dipty, the site that lets you create, well, timelines! The first (pictured) is “2010: The Year in DIY 3D Printing”, and includes many notable events that took place last year. The second is “2011: 3D Printing Predictions”, where speculative events are envisioned, including (at the time of this… Continue reading 3D Printing Timelines
10,000 MakerBots?
Joris Peels of i.Materialise guest-posted 11 provocative predictions for 3D printing on TechCrunch this week, and one of them caused us to ponder whether it could really happen. No, it’s not the “Bre Pettis will appear on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine in 2011” – that’s entirely unpredictable. We’re more interested in the “Makerbot… Continue reading 10,000 MakerBots?
3D Printing in 2010
A year ago we posted our “wishes for 2010“. Did any of them come true? Let’s take a look: A consumer capable 3D printer: This didn’t happen, but clearly big steps were taken in that direction. Three events were key for us: MakerBot’s Thing-O-Matic, which automated much of the operation of a 3D printer… Continue reading 3D Printing in 2010
BBC Investigates 3D Printed Food
We’re reading a big report from BBC news where they investigated the incredible notion of 3D printing food. We’ve covered this before, and sure, it’s obviously at an experimental stage right now – but readers will all know where this is heading. We want food printers! The Beeb article primarily focused on Jeffrey Lipton’s… Continue reading BBC Investigates 3D Printed Food
My Head’s Going To Explode!
That’s what MakerBot Chief Bre Prettis says in this video report on low-cost 3D printing from Reuters. The well-known news agency put together this piece to explain the topic to the vast majority of people who simply don’t know that 3D printing is not only possible, but inexpensive. Bre’s comment in full: Our… Continue reading My Head’s Going To Explode!
Gift Giving? How About Gift Making!
It seems that some of the popular media are starting to catch on to 3D Printing, with the notion that gifts can be made rather than purchased. Perhaps this is a reaction against the fear of oppressive crowds at the shops, but we think it’s a natural conclusion to 3D printing capability, which can produce… Continue reading Gift Giving? How About Gift Making!
BfB Acquisition Reactions From Across The Interwebs
There have been many opinions raised after the blockbuster announcement of 3D Systems acquiring Bits From Bytes. The official announcements are here and here. We scoured the web to find reactions: European Plastics News: gained a 17% share of the worldwide 3D printer market in its first year of operation. Rachel Park: My… Continue reading BfB Acquisition Reactions From Across The Interwebs
Stockbrokers Looking Into 3D Printing
With all the kerfuffle last week (Shapeways gets major investment, New MakerBot 3D printer shown at NYC MakerFaire, Massive New York Times article) it seems that at least a few stockbrokers are taking notice of the 3D print industry. The broker we spoke with actually “got it” and could not stop talking about how this… Continue reading Stockbrokers Looking Into 3D Printing
ZCorp Questions Open Source Printers
A post from Olimpio DeMarco, VP of Research and Development at ZCorp questioned the possibility of using open source 3D printers for business use. He says: Who then is buying open source FDM printers? It isn’t clear to me that there is an industrial, true business application for open source 3DP. He’s probably… Continue reading ZCorp Questions Open Source Printers
MakerBot on CBS Evening News!
They’ve hit the big time, hopefully. Last night’s CBS Evening News featured MakerBot’s Cupcake CNC printer and a very brief segment with ‘Bot mandarin Bre Prettis (left), who explained: A MakerBot is this magical device that turns ideas into objects… It’s a new way of thinking about how we get objects. The report… Continue reading MakerBot on CBS Evening News!
Fashionable 3D Printing
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… Continue reading Fashionable 3D Printing
Matthew du Plessis on 3D Printing
Matthew du Plessis, columnist at the Times Live, provided his thoughts on the world of 3D printing. While he begins with the obligatory comparison to Star Trek replicators (“Tea, Earl Grey, Hot!“), he then recognizes the potential of the future: … I think it’s fair to say, without any hyperbole or undue exaggeration, that… Continue reading Matthew du Plessis on 3D Printing