Consumer 3D Printing
Final users of 3D printing technologies were the last category to emerge. This category includes primarily adopters of consumer 3D printing technologies. These may be enthusiasts and hobbyists who have purchased a 3D printer as a garage tool to further explore the production of drones, miniature models, RC cars or accessories.
This category of adopters was created when the RepRap movement made many of the technologies and processes necessary to build 3D printers available to everyone through open source sharing of information. Focusing primarily on filament extrusion and – in minor part – on DLP stereolithographic technologies, this movement led to a further, drastic reduction in the price of some 3D printers, taking it from the $5,000 professional and prosumer cost level to below $1,000 (with some systems running as low as $200).
Early RepRap adopters and developers often evolved their expertise thus creating a new business segment for affordable desktop 3D printers. This trend was – and continues to be – driven by the Maker movement, which is largely made up of amateur engineers and artists who have embraced digital manufacturing technologies and make things for the sake of making.
While in many cases this passion for making leads to failures or products that prove to be useless on unattainable, there is no doubt that the maker movement and amateur 3D printing adoption has been instrumental in raising global awareness around the use of these technologies, proving much more effective – to this day – than initiative promoted by governments and large corporations.
Latest consumer 3D printing news:
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Ever since it was launched last year (and even earlier when its Connex3 predecessor was launched), many of us working in AM have been wondering why Stratasys never fully leveraged the system’s unique voxel-level control 3D printing capabilities to provide widespread services instead of just continuing to focus on just…
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It is hard to see a day go by without some new innovative technology or online platform being launched. For this reason, it can sometimes be too easy to overlook certain projects and let them fall through the cracks. When I came across STHER, Inc., a new subscription platform founded…
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Thought3D, the Malta-based company behind the Magigoo 3D printer adhesive, is delving into the industrial market with the release of new specialty AM adhesive products created specifically for industrial-grade materials. Thought3D are starting to roll out the new Magigoo products—all biocide and solvent free—in Q3 2018. As FDM 3D printing…
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Who has never dreamed of having a life-size 3D printed Jabba the Hut in their living room? When affordable 3D printers became a reality, they made it possible for these highly personalized “dreams” to come true. In what is certainly an effective promotional campaign, the YouTube channel Mighty Jabba’s Collection…
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Since as early as 2014, Dutch designer Lilian van Daal has sought to combine digital manufacturing practices, such as 3D printing, with bioinspired design to create stunningly complex and original pieces of furniture and art. The Arnhem-based designer recently presented her latest project: a 3D printed chair called Radiolaria #1,…
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Like a phone case, which dresses up your smartphone and sets it apart from those around you who share the same hardware, a fun watch band for the Apple Watch lends a sense of personality and style to the increasingly popular wearable device. The latest Apple Watch bands to catch…
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Presented at the BMW AG Annual General Meeting, the new BMW Vision iNEXT project is set to take the company’s early moves in all-electric mobility – which began with BMW i3 in 2013 and define how we will move around in the future. The mass customization of parts made possible…
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Open source 3D printer manufacturer Aleph Objects, Inc. has officially released its newest product, the LulzBot Aerostruder v2 Micro Tool Head. The new hardware update—which stirred up some confusion and excitement a couple of weeks ago with a red herring teaser—enables LulzBot Mini 2 users to up their printing game…
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Thought3D, the Malta-based manufacturer of Magigoo 3D printing adhesive products, has partnered with international online retailer HobbyKing.com, further expanding its reseller network. HobbyKing.com, a platform that primarily serves designers, makers and enthusiasts of electronics and R/C models, will now be selling the 50ml format of Magigoo 3D printer adhesive. Notably,…
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Furniture company Steelcase recently enlisted the help of 3D printing companies Fast Radius and Carbon to redesign and upgrade its award-winning SILQ office chair using additive manufacturing. Working together, the partners designed, engineered and 3D printed an arm cap for the chair which can be customized to the user’s body.…
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