There are hundreds of things being commercially launched via the genius of the 3D printer – not just guns, as the naysayers would have us believe! There are 3D printed houses, bras, bottles, cars, shoes, furniture, food, fashion accessories, organs for transplant and so many more. Future possibilities are limited only by our own imaginations, and with the Christmas count-down looming, the race is on to see who will corner this market and deliver affordable 3D printing to the masses.
BetAdbram 3D Printed House
With its sights set on opportunities in the medical, automotive and fashion industries, 3D printing is destined to be a lucrative business for whoever becomes the major suppliers, but for us creative types, it's so much more than a commercial venture. My 2 favourites examples of 3D printing are more about the human spirit than the cold hard cash. I'm blown away by the seriously stunning and sexy prosthetic limbs from industrial designers such a Scott Summit http://www.bespokeinnovations.com, and also the tiny little fluro shells created to save an endangered species of Hermit Crab by Markerbot's Project Shellter https://www.facebook.com/ProjectShellter. Stuff like this really warms the cockles of the heart.
Bespoke Innovations 3D Printed Prosthetic Limb
Marker Bot's Project Shellter - 3D Printed Shell For Endangered Hermit Crabs
On an industrial level, we should all be very excited by the prospect of a design production method that shakes-up the current status quo of waste, which we inherited from a past generation of designers who had little concern for sustainability. 3D printing reduces carbon emissions and the need for long distance transportation, as well as the wasteful prototype process. As a new forward-thinking innovation, the final outputs of 3D printing have been developed to involve sustainable materials which are better for the long term health of our lovely little green planet.
This is all awesome stuff. In addition to the environmental benefits, the other thing about 3D printing that really gets the heart pumping is the potential for creative expression, and not just for us designers. Like Lego, Play-Dough, and Etch-a-Sketch before it, 3D printing is the conduit for imaginative play and creative learning. A company in the US called Mission Street Manufacturing are crowd sourcing on kick-starter for an affordable 3D printer called Printeer coupled with a child friendly app through which a child can design bespoke creations. With any luck, Printeer is on track to be available in time for Christmas. At the time of this blog there's 3 days left to get involved here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2001363001/printeer-a-3d-printer-for-kids-and-schools
There are already easy-to-use apps available that are designed to work with 3D printers. My favourite is Monstermatic which helps you to create kooky monster figurines http://www.monstermaticapp.com…there goes my weekend!Monstermatic - A Mobile App For Designing Your Own 3D Printed Monster
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