Tag Archives: consumer

3D Systems Will Bring Next Generation 3D Printing Showcase to CES 2013

3D Systems logo

3D Systems is planning to make a splash at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this coming week. You can read our detailed guide to CES 2013 to learn about all of the exhibitors.

Since 1986 3D Systems has transformed entire industries with powerful 3D content-to-print tools. The company intends to democratize access to affordable 3D content-to-print solutions for professionals and consumers. Launched last year at CES, Cubify is 3D System’s consumer zone (www.cubify.com).

In the press release below, 3D Systems indicates that it will be bringing their full suite of consumer 3D printers, and even printers for kids!

ROCK HILL, South Carolina, January 3, 2013 – 3D Systems (NYSE:DDD) announced today that it will bring its next generation consumer 3D printing experience  to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, January 8-11, 2013, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Main Hall, booth 15447 and the MommyTech zone, booth 71003 in the Venetian.
3D Systems plans to showcase its new line of consumer 3D printers, 3D printed products, and apps delivering an exclusive 3D lifestyle experience. Attendees can sip a cup of coffee at the Cube Café while checking out the only home desktop 3D printers on the market, try on designer printed fashion and gadget accessories and get creative with gamified 3D design apps. Toy and entertainment brands and app developers are invited to learn how to monetize their intellectual property and creativity on 3D Systems’ hosting, publishing and production platform, Cubify, and join in the 3D printing revolution.

True to its commitment to children’s education, 3D Systems will deliver a second kid-centric 3D printing experience to the MommyTech zone located at the Venetian Hotel. 3D Systems will have its full range of child-friendly and education-centric solutions ranging from 3D printers to design software and apps. Avi Reichental, President and CEO of 3D Systems, will participate in a Kids@Play panel on “The Transformation of Play: How 15 Years of ‘Smart Toys’ Have Changed Children’s Play” on Wednesday, January 9th, 2013 at 9:45am at the LVCC North Hall – N256.

“We are thrilled to bring our next-gen consumer 3D printing experience to CES 2013,” said Cathy Lewis, CMO 3D Systems. “We invite toy and entertainment brands and developers to experience our secure Cubify hosting, publishing and production platform and introduce the 3D lifestyle to their audiences.”

Learn more today about 3D Systems consumer offerings on Cubify.com.

About 3D Systems Corporation
3D Systems is a leading global provider of 3D content-to-print solutions including 3D printers, print materials and on-demand custom parts services for professionals and consumers alike. The company also provides CAD modeling, reverse engineering and inspection software tools and consumer 3D printers, apps and services. Its expertly integrated solutions replace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing and manufacturing new products. 3D Systems products and services are used to rapidly design, communicate, prototype or produce real functional parts, empowering customers to create and make with confidence.

Well… In Late Night News, Now You Can 3D Print Adult Toys at Home

3D Printed Adult Toys

This news is a little different, but just goes to show that 3D printing is truly here to stay.

MakerLove.com provides free downloadable designs for people who have 3D printers so that they can privately make adult toys and other embarrassing items at home. From the company’s website:

12 years ago we developed our corporate vision:  ”Technology Overcomes Embarrassment.”  One technology that I think is going to change life is the Maker.  We have one now, a Makerbot Replicator and think it is amazing.  We also can see that the price of 3D printers will continue to drop and soon they will be affordable enough for most people to own.  People will have the ability to make items they want, instantly, without anyone else being involved.  That’s quite a bit of freedom.

I believe that one thing that will be popular to make with your Maker is [adult] toys.  Why?  Because we’ll all be free to make them privately.  That is quite an enabler.

We aren’t showing any of the designs here but you can click over to MakerLove.com if you are interested in learning more.

 

Heart photo by by Creative Tools used under Creative Commons license.

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Oops-Ed: TechCrunch Writer Says Consumers Don’t Need 3D Printers

Bill Gates Enough RAM

In the early 1980s, Bill Gates was widely known to say “640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer.” This famous quote seems laughable today as your standard home computer, tablet and phone are equipped with gigabytes of memory.

Well, today TechCrunch writer Jon Evans makes a similarly myopic claim about the 3D printer market, “There is no reason for any individual to have a 3D printer in their home.” We are sure Evans would love being compared to Gates, but let’s look more closely at his argument.

3D printing will be a serious threat to manufacturing as we know it. But not at home. That doesn’t make sense. Instead, we’ll have two kinds of communal 3D printer shops.

In high-infrastructure areas, there’ll be a clutch of online providers a la Stratasys (and I expect one of them to be Amazon.com): you’ll pick your 3D design from a huge online menu, send them size information and maybe a few photos from some kind of cunningly designed app, tweak the 3D preview until you’re happy, and they’ll print it out in some vast warehouse full of high-end high-speed 3D printers and ship it to you, possibly that same day.

In low-infrastructure areas, or if you’re a casual hobbyist, or if you have very specific requirements, you’ll head down the road to your nearest local printing facility. Depending on where you are, maybe this is tomorrow’s TechShop, maybe it’s a cluster of converted shipping containers on the outskirts of Uganda each with their own specialties and strengths. They’ll customize your order, render it in the cloud as needed, print it out, and tweak and iterate until it’s done. More expensive but more specific.

While we agree with Evans’ two predictions about online providers and tech shops, we do not agree with his assertion that there won’t be 3D printers in the home. Look at other markets: personal computers, inkjet or laser printers, photo printers, etc. In each of these cases, this technology started out expensive and niche, but eventually moved into the mainstream and enabled new industries to blossom.

Read Evans’ full post and the comments that ensue.

 

Bill Gates photo by MATEUS_27:24&25 used under Creative Commons license.

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