3 -D PRINTING TRIES TO FIND A HOME
(UPDATED BY ENDAH)
(CNN) -- The companies that make 3-D printers want a
spot in your home. They're just not sure exactly why you need one of
their futuristic devices yet.
(UPDATED BY ENDAH)
3-D printing tries to find a home
3-D printing has been all the rage in tech circles for a couple of years, but a "killer app" for average users hasn't emerged.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- 3-D printers are aiming at consumers with cheaper, easier-to-use devices
- A number of 3-D printing companies introduced personal printer tech at CES
- The devices are mostly used by hobbyists, but a mainstream use could be around the corner
The 3-D printing industry
is taking aim at entry-level customers with cheaper, easier-to-use
hardware and online marketplaces filled with predesigned files. At the
annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the 3-D printing section
was larger and busier than in previous years and had an increased focus
on consumer-friendly products.
The technology is trying
hard to become mainstream, but first it needs to figure out what average
people will really want to create.
What is a 3-D printer for?
Entry-level 3-D printers
are popular with makers and crafters, people who want to get their hands
dirty and create prototypes, figurines and small toys. People are
constantly experimenting with the devices, trying out unconventional
uses like printing guns, fashion accessories and fine art.
These hobbyists are a
fairly minor market when compared to the lofty aspirations of the
consumer 3-D printing industry, which imagines a 3-D printer in every
home, like paper printers were before people realized printing on paper
was passé.
"There's no killer app yet," said Trevor Townsend, co-owner of Matterform, a 3-D scanner company.
The people selling
printers, files and scanners aren't discouraged by the lack of an
obvious use case. They seem confident that it will come in the next few
years as more people get their hands on the devices and start
experimenting, and as the technology becomes more advanced and takes on a
wider range of materials.
Plastic is the most commonly used material, but it is just the beginning. 3DSystems demonstrated its ChefJet
3-D food printer at CES, which creates complex shapes out of edible
materials such as sugar and chocolate and will cost less than $5,000.
The company also is working on a product that prints ceramics. The
CeraJet concept device would take pottery to another level with complex
designs that can be glazed and fired.
Even at this early
stage, the demand for 3-D printers is rising. Shipments of 3-D printers
will grow 75% in 2014, according to market research firm Gartner.
It expects the consumer 3-D printing market to hit $133 million this
year, which is still far less than the $536 million companies will spend
on the product.
New crop of consumer products
At CES, the printer companies were focusing on a more immediate problem: 3-D printing is too complicated for the average person.
Designing a model and
creating a workable file takes skill, and the machines themselves can
require technical know-how and adjustments like leveling to get a decent
final product.
The newest hardware is trying to make 3-D printing simple. MakerBot announced a new one-button 3-D printer called the MakerBot Mini.
Files can be sent directly to the compact printer from a mobile phone
or tablet over WiFi. One push of a button and the Mini will start
creating the object in PLA plastic.
A big barrier to mass
adoption of 3-D printers is price, and hardware costs are falling every
year. When it comes out in May, the Mini will cost $1,375. That is
around $1,500 less than the company's flagship product, the MakerBot
Replicator. There are a number of less expensive 3-D printer options
already on the market, some as cheap as $200.
To make 3-D printing completely hassle free, there are companies that handle the actual dirty work of printing. Services like Sculpteo create small batches of 3-D printed objects and let the designer control the process online. UPS and Staples are testing in-store 3-D printer services.
A number of companies
are trying to make the design process easier, too; 3-D scanners can take
precise photographs of existing objects from every angle to create a
printable 3-D file. Matterform
showed off its consumer-friendly 3-D scanner at CES. The $579 scanner
looks like a portable record player and can scan objects up to
9.8-inches tall. MakerBot also recently released an entry level scanner
called the MakerBot Digitizer.
Another twist on
scanning comes from 3DSystems, which demonstrated a 3-D photo booth. The
3DMe booth scans a person's face and then prints it on an existing
figurine body such as a "Star Trek" crew member.
MakerBot is betting that
many people will pay to use existing 3-D files instead of having to
create their own. The company announced its new MakerBot Digital Store
at CES, a sort of iTunes for 3-D content. Prices start at 99 cents, and
the first designs are focused on kids and families. There are cars,
characters, animals and other cute 3-D models, all original content
created by MakerBot.
The future might break the law
The MakerBot Digital
Store doesn't carry replicas of existing products or commercial
characters. That's because without licensing deals, it could step into
the murky world of 3-D intellectual property law. While it's still a
couple years off, the threat of litigation will become a major issue in
3-D printing down the line.
One of the more practical future uses for a 3-D printer includes replacing broken parts, say a cracked plastic base
to an Oster blender. The part costs a few dollars online, but in the
future it could be easier, faster and cheaper to simply print out a
replacement at home. But unless you buy the file from Oster, are you
stealing it? If companies decide to crack down on user-created files,
3-D objects could be pirated like movies and music.
Whatever the legal,
technical and practical challenges, 3-D printing has its eyes on the
future. It's still a long way from being an in-home "Star Trek" style
replicator, but the industry is confident it will have enough uses to
warrant a spot in your home office or kitchen.
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