Guardian Article – Is 3D Printing About To Hit Mainstream?

8 May, 2013

Guardian - 3d printer making designer glasses

The Guardian has recently released an interesting article about the ever reducing cost and increasing availability of 3D printing technology, and the potential 3D printing machines can offer as a household appliance:

Is 3D Printing About to Hit Mainstream?

Funnily enough, it’s the comments below the article which I find almost as interesting as the article itself. Internet trolls can be funny at times, but there does seem to be a pretty big undercurrent here of dismissing all of this as a gimmick. It makes me wonder if this is what the general public sounded like when the washing machine first made the transition from industrial to home appliance.

WRITTEN BY

Jack Meyer

Bespoke jewellery designer, and specialist in jewellery CAD/CAM and emergent technologies that affect jewellery.

Related Posts

All3DP Article – Best 3D Printers for Jewellery
11 January, 2023

In which I reference All3dp's highly useful annually updated list of top picks for 3D printers usable for jewellery manufacturing.

READ MORE
The Future of Prosthetics
11 December, 2020

This video from The Guardian shows off some wonderful innovations in prosthetic design, including discussion about designing prosthetics for fashion.

READ MORE

2 Comments Guardian Article – Is 3D Printing About To Hit Mainstream?

  1. I, like you, do find the general public’s reaction to 3D printing amusing. But it’s no surprise really, for those of us who spend our lives immersed in the realisation of 3 dimensional objects and even ‘think’ in 3D it’s not a difficult concept to grasp. But for those who don’t inhabit our world on a daily basis it’s can be hard to grasp. I occasionally make theatrical props for shows I’ve been in and kids will come up to me and say “where did you get that?” “I made it” I reply… “No way! you bought it”. “Where do you think anything comes from?” I respond… “people make stuff… I’m one of those people”.

    1. Interesting point, Simon. For those who have never really made anything before, it’s hard to conceive what a craftsman is capable of once they know how. Along that same line of thinking, I suppose it makes sense that the concept of being able to make plastic accessories and toys out of thin air could potentially seem to these people like a parlour trick.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
     
 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.