Micromanufacturing at Home: 3D Printing is Coming of Age

For years, I have been teaching about the infusion of computing into sensory areas beyond sight and sound.  Today, we expect vibration mode on cell phones, and the iPhone has introduced the idea of gyroscopes and access to a rich array of sensors.  BUT, these are the tip of the iceberg.  They are the beginning of the public becoming comfortable with the idea that computing is going to interact with us through all of our senses.  One of the most interesting developments in this area is in the field of 3D printing.

For several years I have seen prototyping printers in the range of $20,000 producing parts for about $5 per item.  Three major varieties exist, the powder-laser, the plastic layering device, and solid block cutters (the old machining techniques).  Here is an example of someone printing a ball bearing part using the powder variety:

http://www.youtube.com/v/u7h09dTVkdw&hl=en_US&fs=1

What is really neat this year is that the costs are decreasing, and the market is beginning to target common consumers and small manufacturing shops.  There is even a push to see these "prototyping" machines as in-house parts production tools.  That is a huge conceptual shift.  Here is an example of one of these new generation of personal 3D printer devices:

http://www.youtube.com/v/Jt3EGgtSAUc&hl=en_US&fs=1  

What makes this even more interesting is the future of 3D scanning.  I have talked about the prior generation of scanners like the z-scanner, which required placement of little targeting dots on the object (you may have seen this technology in film extras showing how they do special effects).  BUT, the new generation of scanners, does not need the dots and can scan even more points on an object, making them adequate for scanning artwork or any composite object (for example, see   http://www.nextengine.com/?gclid=CNT0ju24sKMCFRxinAodTUmh3g).  

So, what sort of real opportunities will we see for business?  Imagine this:  What would Target.com or Wal-mart.com be like if you could download designs and print them at home?  What if you could recycle the objects back into the printer after you use them and they would be sanitized and processed back into the raw material?  Could you imagine printing your silverware?  Replacement case for your computer?  A new wallet?  A gift for a friend?  Toys?  Would we need big stores to show us big inventories any more?  I think there are a lot of possibilities these technologies will surface.  Many we can barely imagine right now.  

For example, in the future these printers will also be able to print circuitry and batteries on demand (For some insight into the printing of electronics, check out this site:  http://www.printedelectronicsworld.com/articles/printed_batteries_000001...).  You would be able to print a complex electronic device.  Some of them already have color printing capabilities.  Certainly, there are already applications for these micro-manufacturers for the Space Station or remote operations.  How long will it take for them to touch us at home?