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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Gentle Giant Studios, a 3D Systems-owned photogrammetry company, has launched two new mobile 3D scanning studios. The two systems, the Juggernaut I and Juggernaut II, are marketed at the entertainment industry and offer a fully mobile scanning capabilities. Within the entertainment industry, 3D scanning can have many uses and applications.…
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Callaway Golf Company, a manufacturer of golfing equipment, has entered into a consultancy agreement with GE Additive’s AddWorks team through which it will seek to exploit the benefits of 3D printing. Callaway has already unveiled the first product to be realized as part of the collaboration: a redesigned Odyssey R-Ball…
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3D printing adhesive specialist Thought3D has announced the upcoming launch of a new Magigoo adhesive solution developed specifically for Owens Corning’s XSTRAND GF30-PP composite filament. The new product, called Magigoo PP-GF, was developed in close collaboration with Owens Corning. Originally known for its Magigoo mix for first layer adhesion, Malta-based…
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The 2019 edition of the 3D Pioneers Challenge has officially launched, inviting designers and specialists from around the globe to submit their most innovative and boundary pushing 3D printing-related projects. For the fourth year running, the 3D Pioneers Challenge is seeking to find the best AM ideas and projects in…
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Consumer 3D printing is an interesting sector at the moment. While some areas, like 3D printed eyewear, may feel a bit saturated, others are almost completely untapped. German company Sandhelden is a good example of a company seeking to leverage 3D printing in a pretty unique way: by offering a…
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Visitors to Dublin Castle in Ireland might be drawn in by a bubble gum pink sculpture standing outside of the government complex, contrasting with its grey stone and brick façade. The piece is a modern take on the classical David and Goliath motif by English artist Jam Sutton which shows…
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Custom 3D printed eyewear is something of a trend in the industry, with a range of startups promising to deliver bespoke frames to customers thanks to AM. If there is one brand you’ll want to keep your eye on, it is probably King Children, a New York-based company that recently…
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Though it is somewhat morbid to think about, death faces all of us and along with it, funeral planning and costs. According to Liverpool-based startup Koffin, funeral costs have gone up over 70% in the past 10 years. These high costs, along with the unsustainable nature of traditional coffins were…
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The maker community is constantly creating new, fun and often innovative things using 3D printing, but it can sometimes be hard to keep track of all the amazing things going on, especially with so much happening on the industry side of things. At this time of year, however, I always…
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Makerbot is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its 3D model sharing platform Thingiverse. The online platform, which now includes over two million users, is the largest free and open 3D printing community in the world. Looking back over the past ten years of Thingiverse, its transformation and growth is nothing…
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