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7 Comments

1. 1. RDH 04:28 PM 12/6/12

   One needs a world-class 3D solids modeling software package to produce files that 3D printers can use. Fortunately just such a package developed here in the U.S. exists. Most of these printers support STL file formats that Solid Edge can produce.
   
   And Siemens supplies Solid Edge free to college students and professors as well as high school students (never too early to start your high-tech education).
   
   There is also Local Motors (see e.g., www.localmotors.com) that provides a way for auto-design collaboration using Solid Edge. So it is possible for a college course to use Solid Edge to not just design and do 3D printing, but to get innovative designs incorporated in an automobile.
   
   Here is a site for the free college edition.
   
   https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/about_us/goplm/arc/se-academic/solid-edge-student.cfm?
   
   For high school students:
   
   https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/about_us/goplm/arc/se-academic/educator/high-school-download.cfm?

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2. 2. gesimsek 06:24 PM 12/6/12

   This is also good news for software companies. They will sell applications for do-it-yourself personal accessory designing programs

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3. 3. RSchmidt 07:47 PM 12/6/12

   Tremendous possibilities here. I first looked at it in the 90's as a way to extract dinosaur fossils from the matrix in which they were encased. Much cheaper than doing it by hand.
   
   Prior to the industrial age we had artisans that created a small number of custom products. The industrial age gave us the mass production of generic products. The digital age and 3D printing will give us mass customization. It is also a first step towards machines than can build themselves. 3D printing will also bring us printed human organs. This is a world changing technology.

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4. 4. dxs11 10:36 AM 12/10/12

   3D printing offers designers unprecedented flexibility. Many traditional fabrication methods such as forging and casting are often limited by the need to extract the part from a steel tool. 3D printing eliminates the need for costly tooling. While amenable to small batches, machining has limited capabilities in producing parts with internal features. 3D printing offers a new paradigm in design and fabrication of complex parts and while work still needs to be done to meet the quality required of some aerospace and medical applications, the potential is definitely there.

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5. 5. Daniel35 11:08 PM 12/13/12

   I'm not hearing much about what the leading edge of 3D printing is like today, and soon. I assume some printers can print one item in different colors of plastic, but how about with widely varying materials, maybe ceramics or steel in fine pellets to be fused together later? Could they print for instance interlocking parts, of whatever material, separated by a gel that would be washed away to free the individual parts? "Printer, scan yourself and duplicate, but with space for further additions."

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6. 6. bucketofsquid in reply to Daniel35 05:00 PM 12/18/12

   The simple answer to your complex question is "yes". A variety of metals, ceramics, resins and plastics are currently available, depending on your price range. There are a variety of software packages including an open source package I seem to have forgotten the name of. The very expensive high end 3D printers can create very intricate multisubstance items.
   
   I've begun buying shares of certain companies involved in 3D printing. I watched Brocade and Juniper do very well in the network gear market when I had no cash to invest. I'm not missing out on the latest wave of significant innovation this time around.

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7. 7. muqtada321 07:51 AM 12/20/12

   It has a market capitalization of approximately $3 billion, making it the largest 3D printing company in the world, surpassing 3D Systems’ market capitalization of $2.4 billion.
   
   Regards
   <a href="http://www.printingfairy.com/labels-printing/" rel="follow">labels printing</a>

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