There have been a few developments recently that have brought me to the view that STL file format will slide away quietly.
prediction
About That Rize Investment by Dassault Systèmes…
There’s something very intriguing about Dassault Systèmes’ surprise participation in a US15M investment in Rize.
Powerful Handheld 3D Scanners Are Coming
A report suggests that upcoming Apple iPhone designs may include powerful 3D scanning capabilities.
3D Printing Predictions for 2019
3D printing has come a long way from its origins in the 1980s, with a brief entry into the consumer space galvanizing its growth in the earlier part of the decade.
A Look Ahead in 3D Printing with Gartner’s Pete Basiliere
We caught up with Pete Basiliere, Research Vice President, Additive Manufacturing at Gartner for a look at predictions in 3D printing and 4D printing in 2019.
Desirable Developments In 3D Printing For 2019
With the new year, new thoughts of 3D printing come to mind.
A Future 3D Printing Issue Looking For A Solution
It’s occurred to me that there is an upcoming issue that the 3D printing industry has yet to solve: print tracking.
Could Morphogenic 3D Printing Be Coming?
New research from MIT hints at future possible approaches to 3D printing.
These Trends Will Shape 3D Printing Moving Into 2019
Though young, 3D printing has already imposed itself as one of the most disruptive technologies in recent decades.
Autodesk Deepens Reach Into Construction
3D software giant Autodesk made an acquisition of a construction-related company.
A Look at Theoretical Futures for 3D Printing Technology
A speculative video discusses some of the issues 3D printing may face in the distant future.
Reactions to Materialise’s 3D Printing Trends for 2019
Materialise published a series of trends and we have some thoughts.
Book of the Week: Rule 34
This week’s selection is “Rule 34” by Charles Stross.
Book of the Week: Designing Reality
This week’s selection is “Designing Reality: How to Survive and Thrive in the Third Digital Revolution” by Neil Gershenfeld, Alan Gershenfeld and Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld.
Indo Pacific Implications of 3D Printing?
I’m reading a two-part story talking about how 3D printing may affect the Indo Pacific region.
3D Print Education – In All Forms
Across the world, we are now seeing the seeds of the future for 3D printing.
The Competitive Path of Resin 3D Printers
The more things happen, the more things are the same.
Could the End of STL be In Sight?
The venerable STL file format for describing 3D models has been around for far too long. But now the end could be finally appearing.
Is It Finally Time for Personalized 3D Printing?
We’ve heard a lot about “personal” 3D printing in the past, but perhaps it’s time for “personalized” 3D printing.
8 3D Printing Trends to Keep an Eye on in 2018
Since the relatively recent start of the rise of 3D printing, the industry has gone through many changes and improvements.
Gartner’s Pete Basiliere on the Future of 3D Printing, Part 2
We spent some time picking the extensive brain of Pete Basiliere, Gartner’s point person on 3D printing technology.
Gartner’s Pete Basiliere on the Future of 3D Printing, Part 1
We spent some time picking the extensive brain of Pete Basiliere, Gartner’s point person on 3D printing technology.
3D Printing Predictions for 2018: Industry Leaders Weigh In
What does 2018 hold for the world?
What Might We See in 3D Printing in 2018?
I hate making predictions because they may turn out wrong. But let’s do so anyway.
Is the Personal 3D Scanning Business Viable Long Term?
There was a time when it was thought that 3D Scanning businesses might be a big thing. Is that still the case?
3D Printing: The Story So Far
As today is our tenth anniversary I felt it wise to do a recap – of everything that’s happened in 3D printing over the past decades.
If MCOR Was Not Exhibiting At CES, Why Were They There?
This year’s CES exhibition in Las Vegas was notable in the 3D space primarily by the missing presence of several large industrial vendors. Except one, sort of.
3DPrinterOS Cozies up to Microsoft: Is there More to the Story?
Cloud-based 3D print management service 3DPrinterOS announced they’ve moved their processing to Microsoft’s Azure cloud service.
UPS Believes 3D Printing Is Compelling. Of Course They Do!
A ten-page report commissioned by parcel delivery and logistics service UPS suggests that 3D printing is a huge opportunity.
The Gross “Modular Body” Isn’t Really 3D Printed
I’m perusing an extremely strange site describing “Oscar”, said to be the world’s first 3D printed modular organism.
The J750 Causes Big Implications For Many
This week I’ve written a few stories about Stratasys’ new J750, and here’s more thoughts on what this milestone machine means for others in the 3D print universe.
Is Automotive Catching On To 3D Printing?
A report predicts big things for 3D printing in the automotive sector. But could this herald a revolution in design?
How Stratasys’ New J750 Changes The Product Development Game
The most interesting things about the J750 multimaterial and multicolor 3D printer is not the hardware, in my opinion, but instead it’s the effects it has on business processes.
Two Years Are Up, Which Companies Will Fail?
I’m expecting some big changes in the 3D printing startup community this year.
Could the iPhone 7 Become an Effective 3D Scanner?
Rumors suggest that the upcoming iPhone 7 may include a feature that could enable it to be a 3D scanner.
SmarTech’s Five Predictions For 3D Metal Printing: Are They Accurate?
SmarTech published five predictions for the future of 3D metal printing and we thought we’d take a closer look at them.
In Spite of Recent Gloom, It Seems 3D Printing May Grow Spectacularly
Dampened stock prices and disillusionment with consumer 3D printing ventures aside, it may still be that 3D printing technology will explosively grow in years to come.
“3D Printing Sector will Witness More Downside” Or Will It?
We’re reading a damning article from Investor Guide, which provides dire predictions for the 3D print industry.
More On Gartner’s 3D Printing Predictions
Gartner 3D printing analyst Pete Basiliere pointed us at their company’s latest detailed report on 3D printing and it shows some interesting predictions.
Something Interesting Is Going Down At MakerBot
We’ve noticed a couple of things happening at MakerBot this past week that caught our attention: it could be a signal that new equipment is coming.
Resellers Won’t Make Any Money With 3D Printers?
For the majority of the thousands of IT office product dealers and resellers in the US, 3D printing is a new technology.
Could Apple Make the Best 3D Scanner?
Rumors of an improved iPhone camera could lead to a widespread ability for 3D scanning.
Forbes Proposes 3D Printing Is About To Change The World Forever
A thought provoking article on Forbes by Rick Smith discusses reasons why he believes 3D printing could trigger significant changes in manufacturing and beyond.
Can 3D Printing Combat Climate Change?
A piece in The Bulletin proposes that 3D printing could be used to help stop climate change. But is this really possible?
Time For a Breakthrough in 3D Metal Printing?
3D metal printing is an expensive proposition, and it may be that this expense is holding back adoption by industry. Is there anything that can be done?
Futurist Predicts the Path of 3D Printing
Futurist Dr. Ray Kurzweil was asked by Huffington Post for his predictions of the future. He had much to say about 3D printing.
Success and Challenges for Simplify3D
Simplify3D is an independently-produced 3D printer management software utility that has been quite successful. But it may have challenges, too.
What Will 2015 Bring to 3D Printing?
After our 2014 wrap up, we thought we’d put down some crazy ideas for what might happen in 2015.
Can Small 3D Print Services Survive?
It seems there are an awful lot of 3D print services available today – but can they all survive?
Safety Challenges Coming for 3D Printing Operations
We wrote the other day about UL’s examination of 3D printing safety. When they finish, there could be significant trouble for many companies.
Gartner: Worldwide Shipments of 3D Printers to Reach More Than 217,000 in 2015
Worldwide shipments of 3D printers (3DPs) will reach 217,350 units in 2015, up from 108,151 in 2014, according to Gartner, Inc.’s latest forecast.
Thoughts on HP’s Big Announcements Today
We’re still thinking through the two big HP announcements today and have some random thoughts of the implications.
Stratasys to Replace the Mojo?
A few short years ago Stratasys introduced the “Mojo”, their lowest cost professional 3D printer. But is it about to be replaced?
3D Printing Reawakens The Maker In You
100 years ago, people knew how to make things. They weren’t necessarily complex things, but they made them. Today, we’ve largely forgotten those skills.
Gartner’s Hype Cycle Positions 3D Printing
Gartner’s annual technology Hype Cycle chart has been released, and it shows 3D printing in two positions.
A Sports Opportunity for 3D Printing?
Some major sports teams have official products, such as an official drink or service. But why not have an official 3D printer?
Personal 3D Printing: A Billion Dollar Market?
A new report from SmarTech suggests the personal 3D printing market will soon exceed one billion US dollars.
Why So Few 3D Print Filament Recyclers?
Every once in a while we see a “filament recycler” product emerge. But you don’t hear much about them. Why is that?
Todd Grimm on 3D Printing’s Future
In the Additive Manufacturing User Group conference’s first keynote, industry expert Todd Grimm laid out his view of the 3D Printing landscape, highlighting many of the technologies and trends that are driving the industry.
Will the Cheap 3D Printers Succeed?
It used to be that to spend USD$500 on a 3D printer, you’d expect to receive a bag of parts and spend your time building it yourself. Not so anymore – or not?
Robocranes for 3D Printed Buildings?
We’re reading some thoughts from Eric Hunting on the Open Manufacturing list regarding future possibilities for large-scale 3D printing, specifically for housing. He’s got some very intriguing ideas.
uformit’s Adaptive 3D Print Service
We had a peek at format’s new technology in NYC earlier this year, but now everyone can make use of it as they’ve just launched their new 3D print site.
How Many 3D Printers Do You Own?
In your home you’ll likely have one microwave, perhaps a car or two, one refrigerator, etc. But how many 3D printers do you have? We think it’s more than one.
Could The Secret of HP’s 3D Printing Venture Be Memjet?
Earlier last week HP CEO Meg Whitman revealed that HP would have some kind of announcement regarding 3D printing this June. We take a look at a possible technology they may use.
Free 3D Printers!
There seems to be two approaches to selling personal 3D printers these days. We’re not sure which one will prevail.
3D Printing Creates Napster for Fashion? Nope.
Mashable proposes that 3D printing will enable a “Napster for Fashion”. We don’t think so.
The Tall 3D Printing Pattern Emerges
What’s up with all the tall 3D printers that suddenly have appeared?
BigRep’s Big Implications for Industrial 3D Printing
Last week we reported on a rather huge 3D printer. This week we’re shocked by what it could mean.
Uformia’s UFormIt Could Change Everything
We got thinking about Uformia’s new Uformit service and realized something important. Something that could change everything.
A Virtual Reality Future For 3D Printing?
A fascinating animated GIF shows what might be the future for for 3D printing.
Beyond Connex3: What Would a True Color 3D Printer Be?
With the excitement from Stratasys’ recent announcement of the color Connex3 technology, we’re wondering where this is going next.
The Six Challenges of 3D Food Printing
Yesterday we wrote on TNO’s work towards the challenge of 3D printed food. They’ve been experimenting with various processes and even combined their work with that of traditional chefs to create unique high-end dishes. But from a 3D printing point of view, we see a series of rather difficult challenges that must be worked… Continue reading The Six Challenges of 3D Food Printing
Four Possibly Crazy Predictions for 3D Printing in 2014
It’s that time of year again. The fresh new year has sprouted and we now must contemplate things that may come to pass in 2014. HP Enters the 3D Printing Marketplace – Again: Some years ago HP struck a deal with Stratasys to relabel and resell their uPrint line of (then) inexpensive commercial 3D… Continue reading Four Possibly Crazy Predictions for 3D Printing in 2014
Wait, How Big Will 3D Printing Become?
Market Intelligence company IDC forecasts 3D printing will grow “ten times” by 2017 and that “worldwide hardware value will more than double in the short term.” They suggest that 2D printer companies such as HP and Konica Minolta may enter the 3D market by partnering with existing 3D printing companies. The forecasted growth… Continue reading Wait, How Big Will 3D Printing Become?
Commercial 3D Printer Companies Focusing on Efficiency
At this year’s EuroMold trade show we were able to check out a number of commercial 3D printer companies. These are the organizations that produce the large scale devices capable of printing in exotic materials such as metal, nylon and even ceramics. They’re well beyond the price range of personal 3D printer owners, but the… Continue reading Commercial 3D Printer Companies Focusing on Efficiency
The Fatal Paradox of Plastic Extrusion 3D Printing
There are several questions always asked by the public about personal 3D printing whenever they are exposed to the technology. They want to know: How big of an object can I print? Is there a way to get rid of those unsightly layer lines? Why does printing take so long?!! The answers have… Continue reading The Fatal Paradox of Plastic Extrusion 3D Printing
What 3D Printers Will Be Announced at CES 2014?
Last year at CES 2013 in Las Vegas we saw the start of a pattern: two significant personal 3D printers we announced. Both MakerBot and 3D Systems showed off new flagship devices. As they have not released any new machines since then, we suspect they both plan big announcements. But what could they be?… Continue reading What 3D Printers Will Be Announced at CES 2014?
3D Printing Be Could Be Worth $8.41B by 2020
According to a recent study, the market for 3D printers could be worth nearly $8.5 billion by 2020. The study, conducted by Indian research firm MarketsandMarkets, forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 23% for 3D printing technology over the next seven years. According to MarketsandMarkets, one of the motivations for this growth is… Continue reading 3D Printing Be Could Be Worth $8.41B by 2020
Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World
Stratasys, one of the largest 3D printing companies in the world today, faces transition. While the company built itself upon the FDM (fused deposition modeling) process it invented years ago, the patent for that process has expired. With the expiration of the key patents, other organizations have replicated (no pun intended) the process and… Continue reading Stratasys Strategy in a Post-Patent World
There’s More to the 3D Printing Revolution
We’re reading a piece in Forbes that describes what they call the “3D Printing Revolution You Have Not Heard About”. They refer to the less visible industrial application of 3D printing in the hearing aid market. A hearing aid must fit precisely into the patient’s ear and therefore must be custom made. Custom made… Continue reading There’s More to the 3D Printing Revolution
BBC: “3D Printing Is Not Going To Change The World”
BBC correspondent Peter Day says “3D printing is not—according to one of the prophets of the new personal manufacturing age—going to change the world on its own” in a recent piece. His notion parallels our thinking, and by extension, the thought process everyone must go through. It’s something like this: Wow! 3D Printing… Continue reading BBC: “3D Printing Is Not Going To Change The World”
BioHacking Leads to 3D BioPrinting?
A report on TechCrunch describes the work of two bio companies, Genome Compiler and Cambrian Genomics. They are developing hardware and software to design and print (the DNA) of new life forms. The idea is to provide software (that’s Genome Compiler’s part) that allows a designer to combine different gene sequences together into a… Continue reading BioHacking Leads to 3D BioPrinting?
Are 3D Printers Scary?
We’re reading a post by Shelly Palmer of Huffington Post entitled, “3D Printing is Way Scarier Than Plastic Guns”. Palmer describes the recent 3D printed gun scenario that we’ve covered in several posts and then goes on to suggest that the knee-jerk reactions of various politicians are misguided, sensational and “like putting a Band-Aid on… Continue reading Are 3D Printers Scary?
3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
A piece in TechCrunch examines the notion that common availability of 3D printers will give rise to a “Napster for 3D Printing Models”. Napster, for those of you to young to recall, was the first big-time music sharing service, which emerged at a time when rules about such things were vague and corporate responses… Continue reading 3D Printing Napster? Not Yet
3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
A study by Lux Research proposes the value of the 3D printing market will reach an astonishing USD$8.4B by the year 2025. Last year’s value was a mere USD$777M, suggesting a rise of USD$7.6B over the next twelve years. This is a compound annual growth rate of around 22%. That’s big. Lux Research… Continue reading 3D Printing: Worth Billions By 2025?
Shapeways To Gain Even More Materials?
A posting on Shapeways blog solicits applications for a new position at the 3D print service. The position? Here’s what they say: We are looking for a someone to help us to find and introduce new 3D printing materials and processes to Shapeways. This can only indicate they mean to dramatically increase the… Continue reading Shapeways To Gain Even More Materials?
The End of the 3D Printing Party?
We’re reading a piece by Brad Moon on InvestorPlace entitled, “3D Printing Party Could End Before It Begins”. The point seems to be that the magic of 3D printing will be destroyed by legal infighting amongst participants. Cited as evidence in the article are: Intellectual Venture’s patenting of a method for enforcing DRM… Continue reading The End of the 3D Printing Party?
3D Printing To “Go The Way of Virtual Reality”?
We’re reading a piece from last year by Christopher Mims in the MIT Technology Review, in which he dumps rather strongly on the notion that “any object can be rapidly synthesized with a little bit of energy and raw materials.” He says: There is a species of magical thinking practiced by geeks whose… Continue reading 3D Printing To “Go The Way of Virtual Reality”?
Forbes Points to 3D Print Services
We’re reading an article from Forbes in which they predict the “early action” on 3D printers will be in the form of services. They correctly state that the number of home 3D printers is kinda small right now, saying: the number of US households that actually own one of these super-cool devices is less… Continue reading Forbes Points to 3D Print Services
$2M Worth of 3D Printing Pens and a Big Implication
The amazing 3Doodler 3D printing pen seems to be rather popular: it’s Kickstarter fundraising campaign has now passed the USD$2M mark and it’s still rising. At this rate, the USD$75 handheld 3D printing device could potentially raise USD$4M or more. Now that’s a lot of 3D pens! More importantly, if there are suddenly… Continue reading $2M Worth of 3D Printing Pens and a Big Implication
An Interview With Neri Oxman
We’ve discovered a lengthy interview with 3D artist and research Neri Oxman of the MIT Media Lab, whose astounding explorations into radical structures using 3D printing have been featured here previously. In the 2200 word interview, published in Material Connexion, Oxman explains much of her 3D printing and artistic philosophy. We noted some highlights: … Continue reading An Interview With Neri Oxman
Prehistoric 3D Printing Video
And now some 3D Printing history. This amazing historic TV clip originates with a show entitled, “Good Morning America” and is dated from 1989 – twenty-four years ago. It’s so ancient they don’t even refer to the process as “3D Printing”, but use “Stereolithography”, the name of the process just then invented by Chuck… Continue reading Prehistoric 3D Printing Video
Someone NEEDS to Buy MakerBot?
We’re reading this article on Inside Monkey entitled, “Someone Needs to Buy MakerBot Already, Stratasys, Ltd. (SSYS)?” Ok. Really? The premise of the piece is that one of 3D Systems, Stratasys or Amazon (!) should acquire MakerBot. Wait, let’s correct that, one of these mega-corps should have ALREADY acquired little MakerBot. The author is… Continue reading Someone NEEDS to Buy MakerBot?
3D Printing’s Effect on Retail
We’ve been reading Dalton Caldwell’s take on entrepreneur Marc Andreessen’s position that physical retail stores are in a bad position as they have to pay for not only inventory but also real estate, whereas online retail does not. Caldwell, who’s currently the CEO of app.net, believes that 3D printing could eventually affect physical retail as… Continue reading 3D Printing’s Effect on Retail
Mainstream 3D Printing?
An article on Business Insider by Dylan Love entitled “This Is What It Will Take For 3D Printing To Go Mainstream” proposes a shift in machine capability may lead to deeper mainstream use. He says: Up until now, much of desktop 3D printing revolved around simply getting the machines up and running, just to… Continue reading Mainstream 3D Printing?