Tag Archives: 3D Systems
Top 3D Printing Headlines Last Week: Apple, Google, Joe Biden, $300 Printer
A roundup of the top news On 3D Printing brought you from June 25 to July 1.
Monday, June 25
- Will Apple Make a Big Acquisition to Enter the 3D Printing Market?
- $300 3D Printer Printxel Shows at the Kansas City Maker Faire
Tuesday, June 26
Wednesday, June 27
- Broadway Shows Get New Mojo with 3D Printed Set Design
- Exclusive: Cubify by 3D Systems Prints at Google I/O and Launches API
Thursday, June 28
Friday, June 29
- Autodesk Shows off 123D Catch Software and 3D Printing at Google I/O
- 3D Systems Announces “Smarter 3D Printing” Seminars for Entrepreneurs
Saturday, June 30
Sunday, July 1
- Vice President Joe Biden Shares the Vision for 3D Printing
- Fab Lab of the Week: Massey University Centre Hosts New Zealand Event
Apple photo by aditza121 used under Creative Commons license.
3D Systems Announces “Smarter 3D Printing” Seminars for Entrepreneurs
3D printer maker 3D Systems today announced a new way for entrepreneurs and professionals to experience and learn about 3D printing: a seminar series called “Smarter 3D Printing”.
From their press release about the new program:
“Smarter 3D Printing” simplifies the complex 3D printing landscape, highlighting the power of accessibility, affordability and choice. 3D Systems offers the broadest range of 3D printing solutions, removing sourcing and integration complexity and delivering substantial time and cost savings. The seminar series is ideal for design and manufacturing professionals as well as business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking to infuse innovation and competitive advantage into their operation. Participants will learn:
- How to choose the right solution for virtually any application
- The capabilities and affordability of ZPrinter(R) and ProJet(TM) 3D printers
- The inside scoop on next-gen ZPrinter(R) 850 and ProJet(TM) 3500
- How to complement in-house 3D printing with Quickparts(R) on-demand services
- How to save money with unified training and support across all products
“Summer is a great time for professionals to catch up on emerging trends, network with local colleagues, and make strategic investments that offer a solid financial return,” said Michele Marchesan, 3D Systems Vice President, Global Sales, Personal and Professional 3D Printers. “We’re making it easy by bringing “Smarter 3D Printing” to you.”
Photo by 3D Systems Corp used under Creative Commons license.
Autodesk Shows off 123D Catch Software and 3D Printing at Google I/O
At the Google I/O conference in San Francisco this week, 3D printing was a popular theme. We reported earlier about the 3D Systems Cubify team hosting a printing station. Also at the conference was the Autodesk 123D team.
They were showing off their design software called 123D Catch, software for your laptop or iPad that lets you import a series of photos of a physical object and create a precise 3D model from those photos. The software is powered by the cloud and takes about 10 to 15 minutes to produce a model. In the example they were showing, the team had taken 30 photos of a marble statue in a museum and the software created a rich 3D model that was ready to print.
The Autodesk team was also printing objects on the MakerBot replicator.
Read more about Autodesk and 123D in our previous coverage.
Photos from Google I/O by on3dprinting.com.
Exclusive: Cubify by 3D Systems Prints at Google I/O and Launches API
Cubify by 3D systems hosted a 3D printing station at Google I/O in San Francisco this week. At this station, the 6,000+ Google I/O attendees could design their own custom 3D printed Nexus phone stand and print it off at the show.
Not only was the Cubify team educating people about 3D Printing, but also were announcing their public API to thousands of Android developers who might want to build a 3D printing app.
We took some photos of the team showing off some 3D printed goods, such as a belt, glove and tie.
The Cube printers were on display in various colors, each working to print a custom Nexus phone stand for a lucky attendee.
They also had some goods that were created on other 3D printers by 3D Systems, such as the guitar in this photo.
Read more about 3D Systems and Cubify in our previous posts.
Photos by on3dprinting.com.
Will Apple Make a Big Acquisition to Enter the 3D Printing Market?
Over at Seeking Alpha, Matt Cilderman thinks that Apple should make a move into 3D printing. Specifically, his target of choice is 3D Systems.
3D Systems has a market capitalization of $1.5 billion. For the first quarter of 2012, on a non-GAAP year over year basis, revenues increased 63%, gross profit grew 67%, and earnings per share rose 47%.
They expect full year 2012 revenue to be in the range of $330-360 million and non-GAAP EPS to be from $1.00 to $1.25 (see April 2012 Investor Presentation).
Why should Apple enter the 3D printing market? Cilderman shares 3 reasons:
- Jobs loved disruptive technologies and with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, he changed the music, movie, telecommunications, and computer industries. 3-D printing may not be there yet, but this is the next, big disruptive technology.
- Apple has a ton of cash on their balance sheet. They could purchase 3D Systems (market capitalization of $1.5 billion) with their spare pocket change. Then, spend the time and money introducing them to Apple’s corporate culture, redesigning the software and hardware to fit Apple’s goals and style.
- 3-D printing and its future also fit right in with Apple’s business model.
Apple is often not the pioneer, but once they enter a market, they build products that are “insanely great” as compared to the competition. Apple has a marketplace for digital goods (music, movies, and apps); perhaps 3D printable designs would be a natural extension. Apple’s products can be used to generate 3D printable designs, as shown by the 123D Catch app.
Read the full editorial at Seeking Alpha.
Apple photo by aditza121 used under Creative Commons license.
