3D printing

One of the challenges in 3D printing is making it cheaper and more affordable. There are a few ways to do that. Mostly it boils down to reducing cost, increasing efficiency and increasing output. One of the major drivers of increasing the output is the speed of the printing process. A good solution is closed loop control.

As 3D printing gains more public attention, the first signs of inflated expectations are popping up. It is true that 3D printing is a great technology but it's still waiting for its iPod moment.

Technology can only be truly disruptive when it either creates a new market or (almost) downright replaces an existing market. That is not happening yet for 3D printing, but it can be.

The promise of 3D printing to make manufacturing more accessible and enabling new companies to quickly bring new products to the market is slowly happening.

Scaling production for Shapeways is much more than adding production capacity. Actually making sure parts are made just-in-time and shipped on time to the right customer with perfect quality is quite a challenge

It is not 3D printing itself. 3D printing is impressive and it is a great advancement in technology. I see exciting new 3D printed products every day. But what really gets me excited is the concept of 3D printing or actually digital manufacturing. Let me explain why.

One of my dreams that all historic artifacts become available on the internet for all the see. Museums all over the world are filled with these amazing and beautiful artifacts ranging from sculptures of Michelangelo to Maya pottery. And it does not stop at museums.

Traditionally 3D printing equipment is owned and operated by prototyping service bureaus. Their specialization is in the manufacturing of prototypes. But the last couple of years prices for 3D printing have dropped significantly. Why would they need to keep 3D printers around if they can just order it online?

The following short animation called FULL PRINTED was made for the exhibition “Laboratory of Manufacturing” at the Museum Design Hub in Barcelona last year. It is great short about how 3D printing, manufacturing, crowdsourcing of design, co-creation and iterative design can work.