The 3D Printing Revolution

Until recently for me, 3D printing has lived in the same realm as Lenticulars and Augmented Reality... a technology with masses of potential, but on the whole, really rather underwhelming.

It would seem that 3D printing has come forward leaps and bounds. Not only is it being used for industrial prototyping, but is now being opened up to the masses with companies like Shapeways marketing a print-your-own product service online.

Science fiction has an uncanny habit of becoming science fact. Remember replicators in Star Trek? Or in The Fifth Element where Leeloo's body is 'rebuilt' from a tiny fragment? Perhaps its not too far away... but for now, we will have to make do with a 3D printed shoe or bicycle.


3 comments:

  1. I'm torn on this technology, yes it can achieve pretty amazing products and it does open up new realms of production to artists and makers, but it's just not printing and I hate that they call it printing - it's 3D laser cutting.

    For me it does for product design what Apple did for design and what digital SLR's did for photography - it makes a profession available to anyone, regardless of talent and skill - it takes away the craft :(

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  2. On the topic of naming this technology Delicious Industries - I agree 3D printing is abit misleading...

    There are some crackers floating around including '3D Fabrication' or 'Fabbing'.

    From my understanding, one of the methods is using heat to melt a nylon-based powder forming the solids. In which case is '3D Super Heat-Ray Erection' the right way to go?

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  3. '3D Super Heat-Ray Erection' is definitely the name I'd have gone with :)

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