Editorials / Opinions
by John Hauer | May 25, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, Editorials / Opinions, Exclusive Interviews, Science & Technology
Over the years I’ve written a lot about the safety of desktop 3D printing. When Underwriters Laboratory announced plans to enter the market, I covered it. When Dremel launched the IdeaBuilder I wrote that in my experience, it was among the first to be UL and CE... 
by Joris Peels | May 19, 2017 | 3D Printing, Editorials / Opinions
Many people somehow see 3D printing as some benign force. The technophile’s latest solution to the world’s ills is a small box that spits out plastic. It too, as the flying cars and jetpacks, will come to save us from ourselves. What many people do not... 
by Joris Peels | May 18, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, 3D Printing Materials, Business, Editorials / Opinions
Adidas has announced that it plans to 3D print 100,000 shoe soles of its Futurecraft 4 shoe by 2018. The German shoe and apparel company is doubling down on its Future Factories initiative where it is reshoring the production of shoes to Germany in highly automated... 
by Joris Peels | May 16, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
The decentralization of production is a hot topic nowadays. The idea of distributing manufacturing that lets you make products close to your customer to obtain an edge in time to market and speed of delivery seems like an increasingly viable strategy for many high end... 
by Joris Peels | May 15, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology
Our honeymoon is officially over. After a few years of being feted by the world’s media and being one of the most talked about tech subjects globally, 3D printing deception is now the norm. Inflated promises and overclaim by some vendors has led to user and... 
by Joris Peels | May 14, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Metal 3D Printing
Optomec is an American company that has two 3D printing technologies: Aerosol Jet and LENS. Aerosol Jet can be used to 3D print electronics and is being used to 3D print millions of mobile phone antennas. LENS is a metal 3D printing technology that can be added onto... 
by Joris Peels | May 12, 2017 | 3D Printing Materials, Editorials / Opinions, Robotics
Industrial additive manufacturing machines have been used to manufacture at scale for a number of years now. Especially in applications such as dental, surgical guides, hip cups and hearing aids, millions of end use parts have been made. DLP machines from EnvisionTEC,... 
by Sarah Anderson Goehrke | May 12, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, 3D Printing Materials, 3D Software, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Exclusive Interviews, Metal 3D Printing, Science & Technology
“Like fine wine, this event continues to improve year after year,” Terry Wohlers said in his keynote at RAPID + TCT. Applause, and appreciative laughter, followed Wohlers’ statement yesterday as the gathered crowd pondered his words. No one would... 
by John Hauer | Apr 28, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, 3D Software, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Education
A lot of progress has been made in 3D printing over the last five years. But much of that has been focused on the “what.” What printing technology? What materials? Beyond The “What” Many in 3D printing are so focused on the features, advantages... 
by Sarah Anderson Goehrke | Apr 24, 2017 | 3D Printing, 3D Software, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology
The Materialise World Summit last week in Brussels was a remarkable event, filling two complete days with some of the brightest minds in additive manufacturing. The hyper-focused nature of the conference ensured that all attendees had a real reason to be there, and... 
by Shamil Hargovan | Apr 20, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
Last week was a huge week in both the $350B footwear industry and the 3D printing materials industries, when two companies I admire and respect, sports powerhouse Adidas and 3D molecular science sensation Carbon, announced the Futurecraft 4D performance shoe,... 
by Joris Peels | Apr 18, 2017 | 3D Printing, 3D Printing Materials, Aerospace 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
3D printing has a lot of potential impacts and uses in business. Prototyping to producing intermediates and making end use 3D printed parts are just some of the application areas where 3D printing is seeing large-scale implementations at the moment. One of the touted... 
by Joris Peels | Apr 18, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
Open source development has brought a lot of advantages to desktop 3D printing. Is our flirtation with open source a youthful indiscretion that will soon be discarded? Or is open source the key to our recent past and to unlocking the future of 3D printing? A Short... 
by Al Siblani | Apr 10, 2017 | 3D Printers, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Medical 3D Printing
As a company that has been inventing and manufacturing 3D printers and materials for 15 years, our company has had a front-row seat to amazing changes in the way things are made. We are also confident that much more progress is on the horizon, especially when it comes... 
by Sarah Anderson Goehrke | Apr 7, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Education
As we kick off our Spotlight Series focusing on the women of the 3D printing world, publishing interviews starting early next week, we have been in contact with several dozen impressive individuals already who come from a wide range of backgrounds. We’re talking... 
by Joris Peels | Mar 31, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printed Art, 3D Printing, 3D Software, Editorials / Opinions
3D printing is being used by artists, curators, museums and galleries worldwide to create works. Designers, sculptors, digital artists, painters and people new to the art world are using 3D printing as a medium to create works. This headfirst rush into the technology... 
by Sarah Anderson Goehrke | Mar 30, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Exclusive Interviews, Science & Technology
Earlier this month, we celebrated International Women’s Day by highlighting a very few of the women involved in the 3D printing industry today. The accomplishments of women in the industry are many, though, and certainly not limited to that talented five —... 
by Mara Hitner | Mar 27, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Exclusive Interviews, Science & Technology
My little maker heart is full after spending 48 hours at the 5th Annual Midwest RepRap Festival (aka MRRF) In Goshen, Indiana. Yes, over 1,000 people from 18 countries around the world made their way to the 4-H Fairgrounds in a tiny town (where Wal-Mart has horse and... 
by Terry Wohlers | Mar 19, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology
Looking ahead is tricky business. Many try, but most can’t do it well. Predicting what might occur in a year from now is one thing, but looking further out, such as years or longer, is difficult. Megatrends author John Naisbitt said, “The most reliable way to forecast... 
by John Hauer | Mar 13, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
Looking for a conference where you can learn more about 3D printing? AMUG would be on almost anyone’s list of recommendations. There’s just one catch though. If your company doesn’t actively own and use additive manufacturing equipment, you can’t attend. 3D Systems... 
by Joris Peels | Mar 10, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printers, 3D Printing, 3D Printing Materials, 3D Software, Editorials / Opinions, Education, Science & Technology
So, you want to buy a 3D printer? Want to pull the trigger? Make the leap? Get into this wonderful world of 3D printing? Be a part of the fourth industrial revolution sweeping this earth? Wonderful, wonderful I’m sure it will be amazing for you and you will make... 
by Clare Scott | Mar 8, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Medical 3D Printing, Science & Technology
Any woman working in the tech field can tell you stories about the challenges that arise from working in an industry that is still largely a boys’ club. The ongoing lack of diversity – both gender and ethnic – in the tech industry is an issue that we... 
by Clare Scott | Mar 2, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, 3D Printing Materials, 3D Software, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology
If you’ve spent a long time working with 3D printing, whether at a hobbyist or professional level, you may tend to forget that there are still many people who don’t know much or anything about the technology. It becomes second nature to those of us who... 
by Hannah Rose Mendoza | Mar 1, 2017 | 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions
For its 2016 Annual Report, GE‘s CEO Jeff Immelt wrote a letter to shareholders that attempts to weave together the core philosophy of GE, its vision for the future, and the way in which both are interacting with current political and economic climates. His... 
by John Hauer | Feb 27, 2017 | 3D Design, 3D Printing, 3D Software, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology, Virtual Reality
A team of Australian scientists recently announced plans to use 3D printing and virtual reality to bring a dinosaur back to life. No, it won’t actually be alive, but it will feel like it is. The team will 3D print a tactile version of the creature, and a virtual... 
by Joris Peels | Feb 23, 2017 | 3D Printing, Aerospace 3D Printing, Business, Editorials / Opinions, Science & Technology
3D printing has many military applications. Militaries around the world have been working on developing 3D printing technologies, using 3D printing for prototypes, developing their own fablabs and using the technology in aircraft and other military vehicles. Many... 
