Last week was the Euromold fair for prototyping, engineering and design in Frankfurt. I was responsible for the workshop, where new design tools were presented (Autodesk Studio Case, Hitachi Starboard, Roland Plotter and the "OBJET EDEN 250" 3D printer).
The most visitors on our workshop asked about the 3D printer. As 3D software revolutionized the form finding, the 3D printer will change the produced results, because almost everything is possible. But the vision of a 3D printer in every household will remain a vision for a long time, see why:
The results are not durable like many other heavy stressed materials, and the machine is too complex to be cheap enough (the price today: about 60.000,-€ for the OBJET EDEN 250) and it takes a lot of time to print out (about 8 hours for an object).
There are also many advantages: The prints are relatively cheap, the result is good, the handling is easy and even broken 3D data can be imported (and used after a filter process).
And this is enough to make to change the design process; in a few years (when the price will be lower) I'm sure that the model making will be made almost only with 3D prints and even this will be a revolution.
picture: The fruit bowl "Y-ROSA" for Heintze & Blanckertz printed out as a scaled model during Euromold
see also the video in youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj9T2OeGk9w
Individualization
thank you for your post.
I think by changing design process with 3D printing and new 3d softwares,is there new faces and new opportunities for some subjects such as Individualization of Products.
check this :
http://www.shapeways.com/