The claim is that Within five years 3D printing will be possible using a variety of materials not previously possible. This includes metal (Metal! That absolutely blows my mind!), nylon, clay, wood pulp, and many types of plastics and polymers. The complexity of what can be "printed" will continue to increase. Kiplinger gave an example of where 3D printing might be used to create not just the plastic housing of a tape measure, but actual kind of tape as well. Another example that currently is being developed is a company that customizes brackets to mount a GPS receiver on a bike
What's amazing about 3D printing is that what used to take a week and cost $300 will soon be able to be accomplished in about two hours - for perhaps ten bucks. The shoe company, New Balance is working out the plans to churn out custom athletic shoes with 3-D printers in some of their stores. What about people with odd sized feet, like my wife! I dont think they should focus just on athletic shoes. I suspect theres probably a HUGE market for all sorts of customized products, and not just for shoes. I could see how companies like Café Press and Zazzle could incorporate 3D printing in order to manufacture all sorts of products. For example, I currently have a Zazzle store front at: http://www.zazzle.com/orionworks With new 3D printing technology at their disposal, artists like me and my wife could go to town possibly developing all sorts of customized products for customers. Kiplinger concluded with an imaginary scene, of "Coming to fashion runways soon: High-tech clothing with amazing features... fabrics that change colors, repel oil, kill bacteria, charge cell phones and more. What this implies: There will be lots of Military and blue-collar apparel. 3D printing will allow chemical nanolayers that help protect soldiers from biological weapons. It will help outdoor workers from bug bites too. The 3D process will also be useful for restaurant workers, helping them stay clean. It will also help mechanics ward off oil stains. Neat! Still, I wonder when the wall socket will become obsolete! ;-) Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson svjart.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/newvortex/
