3-D printing is as affordable as it's ever been. Professional designers, hobbyists and tinkerers are making all kinds of objects on their own that might otherwise have to be manufactured overseas and shipped to another destination.
What happens when you let them run wild with ideas on how to decorate a house with 3-D printing technology? CGTrader rounded up a number of 3-D printed home accoutrements, and these pictures appear with its permission.
The ancient Greek mathematician and engineer Heron of Alexandria designed the earliest known wind turbine in the first century AD. For all that’s happened in the ensuing two millennia, his technology hasn’t changed much.
Now, though, a team of Harvard researchers has found a way to update the turbines, which these days are being increasingly used to generate electricity. The blades of the new turbines look like metal, but what you see is merely a sheath over a core of extremely low-tech balsa wood.
The point of using balsa, even today, is that it’s very light yet very stiff, which is ideal for a wind turbine. But although the balsa tree grows quickly, its wood is rare, and like many other trees it’s getting rarer, and therefore more expensive. Fully 95 percent of the wood comes from the forests of Ecuador.
And being a natural product, it’s structure isn’t perfectly geometrical. Variations in its grain can interfere with the ever-increasing need for the blades to operate smoothly and precisely. After all, some turbine blades are more than 80 feet long and have to be virtually maintenance-free to generate electricity without interruption.
In a paper published online in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers report that they’ve developed cellular composite materials that mimic balsa wood. They are extremely light and extremely stiff and actually appear to be better than balsa for wind turbines.
In fact, the teams from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering say they outperform even the highest-quality polymers and polymer composites now being made by 3-D printers.
Related Article: When the Wind Doesn’t Blow
The Harvard and Wyss researchers used special fiber-reinforced, epoxy-based resins that, when heated, can be molded only once. Then, for the first time, they ran them through a 3-D extrusion printer. Until now, such printers have been used only for the kinds of resins and plastics that aren’t considered suitable for structural applications.
“By moving into new classes of materials like epoxies, we open up new avenues for using 3-D printing to construct lightweight architectures,” says principal investigator Jennifer A. Lewis, the Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard SEAS. “Essentially, we are broadening the materials palate for 3D printing.”
Lewis said the key to balsa’s light weight and great strength is that the wood is mostly empty space, and what’s not empty is its rigid cell walls: “We've borrowed this design concept and mimicked it in an engineered composite.”
The report says the 3-D printing process can be used to create many other valuable materials with applications in many fields, including the automotive industry, where strong, light materials can help in the design of vehicles with greater fuel efficiency. One estimate says removing 110 pounds from each of the 1 billion cars on the planet could save $40 billion in fuel costs.
Anamorphic drawings are two-dimensional drawings that, when viewed from a single point of view, seem to leap off the page. Graphic artist Alessandro Diddi has mastered them.
Diddi is an Italian designer who began working on the 3D-looking art in 2013. "The first drawings helped me to learn the basics of the technique and, once I got assimilated, I began to catch a glimpse of the expressive possibilities that this [medium] could offer," Diddi told Business Insider via email.
To create the 3-D illusions with just graphite and paper, Diddi says he has to consider practical aspects (design, photography, and lighting) and psychological aspects (what the observer thinks he or she is seeing). His photos of the art often includes a pencil in them to immediately remind viewers that the items are 2-D.
Diddi's drawings will be shown on July 19 at Santa Monica's "Masters of Illusion" exhibit. Here are some of his mind-blowing works of art.
What if there could be a pair of headphones that’s completely unique to you — something that fits your ears, but also your style?
OwnPhones, which just launched on Kickstarter, boasts the world’s first 3D-printed wireless earbuds that are “custom fitted to your ears and perfectly designed to match your personality.”
You use a mobile app to upload a video of your ears, and OwnPhones' servers convert those images into the 3D data needed to print your custom earbuds. After that, the actual customization part kicks in, where you get to select from dozens of materials, colors, and styles to create your own unique pair of earbuds.
The company says there are more than 10,000 possible combinations of OwnPhones. And thanks to Bluetooth 4.0 technology, all OwnPhones play your music wirelessly, so you don't need to worry about tangled cords — or any cords, for that matter.
The company's suggested retail price for OwnPhones is $299, but early Kickstarter backers can get a pair for $149 when they start shipping next March.
OwnPhones founder and CEO Itamar Jobani, 34, spent the last 12 years working as a sculptor — first in Brooklyn, now in San Diego, California.
Jobani, a graduate of New York's Pratt Institute, is familiar with all of the major publication tools for scanning and modeling, laser cutting and 3D scanning, but he’s also extremely fascinated with human anatomy.
“My last project was something I collaborated with designers and architects,” Jobani told Business Insider. “We made a 3D-printed dress.”
At the time, Jobani says he and his team scanned a model and fitted her with a unique design that responds to the body. But since he moved to California last September, Jobani has moved onto his next “wearable” project.
With OwnPhones, Jobani is taking a similar design approach to the 3D-printed dress to help people get the customized earbuds of their dreams.
“When I moved out to California, I started running a lot, and I listen to music when I run,” Jobani told us. “I spent a lot of money trying the premium projects out there… They just didn’t cut it.”
Jobani wanted to make a pair of headphones that would never fall out of his ears, or any ears. He also wanted them to be comfortable in any setting — running or sitting still.
“I thought I could make something that could fit me physically,” he said. “So I tried scanning my ears with just an iPhone and I got a great result, so I decided I’d pursue it seriously.”
Jobani was determined: He recruited a small team of electrical engineers and industrial designers from the San Diego community, and started getting to work on a prototype for 3D-printed wireless earbuds.
He said he tried “pretty much every 3D technology out there,” printing 560 prototypes in about six months’ time. Finally, Jobani settled on a 3D-printing process he was happy with.
“We have a photographic process where you create photos of the same object from different angles,” Jobani said. “It’s widely used for things like 3D maps. So you can go from the far back to the front and cover the entire orbit around the ear, and that gives us enough information.”
Jobani said the key is to making this manufacturing process “mass produceable” was breaking down the ear into several elements, identifying and analyzing its various curves, and then punching the data into a special algorithm. This ever-improving science of making 3D objects from photos, called “photogrammetry,” is the key to OwnPhones’ tailor-made platform.
The customization aspect of OwnPhones, according to Jobani, is what truly excites him about this project. Like the 3D-printed dress, 3D-printed headphones let customers fit their styles to the product, rather than the other way around.
“You can do different shapes, colors, materials, so you can choose exactly what you want,” Jobani said. “We have some very talented designers and some that came to collaborate on this. We built 20 to 30 designs. Each one of those designs could have so many variations with colors and even jewelry pieces made of gold and silver and bronze and copper. But we’re also reaching out to the designer community, asking them to join us to design whatever they want.”
Compared to most manufacturing processes for headphones, which usually involve plastic molds and skilled mold makers for quality control, Jobani says his 3D-printing process allows for greater adaptability, and the price of printing has dropped to the point where it's now competitive with other construction techniques. Jobani says it’s no longer necessary to mass produce a million headphones; thanks to 3D printing, you can build them specific to each customer's order, which ensures it's something they actually want.
“With 3D printing, it doesn’t matter if each part you print is different, it’s still going to take exactly the same time,” Jobani said. “So if you print 40 of the same model or 40 different models with flowers, etc., they will all take the same time.”
Jobani is impressed with his early results, but he's looking for Kickstarter funding to also improve the company's photogrammetry algorithm, which it calls "mind-bogglingly complex." Jobani says the company has automated about 80% of the ear-scanning process, but is looking to improve the further streamline the operation with more accurate high-resolution scans. Still, Jobani is already thinking big: He believes the rise of premium customizable earbuds could have a cultural impact.
“Musicians wear custom-fit earbuds on tours, but they’re usually trying to hide them. It’s not part of their identity,” Jobani said. “But pop stars like Lady Gaga can wear something that fits her look and offer it to the public so they can identify with her. They can connect people with sports figures. If you want your initials or certain graphic elements, you can do that too. You can create a logo and share it with your friends, or do something for your school, or family, or basketball team, or friends at work. Customers aren’t used to this yet.”
SEE ALSO: The 12 Craziest (And Wrong) Apple Rumors Of All-Time
SEE ALSO: Here's How Apple Can Take Its Iconic Headphones To The Next Level
Dying to customize some cufflinks?
Amazon just launched a new store for 3D printed products, which has over 200 listings that can be customized by material, color, style, text, or size.
The marketplace includes jewelry, toys, iPhone cases, home-goods, personalized bobble heads, and, yes, cufflinks, among other things.
Amazon isn't actually printing anything itself, but merely connecting consumers with companies that specialize in 3D printing, like Mixee Labs, Sculpteo, and 3DLT.
Price-wise, there's quite a range: You can get a small, metal T-Rex head for nearly $200, but a 3D bobble-head designed to look like you will only set you back $30.
"The online customer shopping experience will be redefined through 3D printing," Clément Moreau, CEO and co-founder of Sculpteo, said in Amazon's press release. "With 3D printing, a customer’s wants are no longer limited to what is in stock but instead by what they can imagine."
Amazon's new store closely follows eBay's efforts at breaking into the 3D printed space. The company launched the eBay Exact app in early July, but it only offered roughly 20 products to customize.
SEE ALSO: 9 Easy Tips For Finding Exactly What You Want On Google
Shares in 3D Systems were down more than 12% in pre-market trading Thursday after the firm reported earnings and revenue that fell short of expectations.
Q2 EPS came in at $0.16 a share versus forecasts for $0.18. Revenue hit $151.5 million against $162.3 million expected.
Inventory climbed to $90 million versus $86 million forecast, and gross margin came in at 47.8% versus 51% forecast.
CEO Avi Reichental said spending on new product launches held profits back this quarter but that underlying trends remained sound.
"While transitional forces temporarily pressured our gross profit margin, a detailed examination of the specific drivers, confirms that the fundamentals of our business are intact and our gross profit margins are poised to rebound and resume their expansion trajectory," he said.
It's been a shaky year for 3D Systems and its chief competitor, Stratasys. We've previously discussed why we think the 3-D printing industry faces a hype problem. Here's a chart showing the two firms' returns YTD:
There’s been a lot of buzz around 3-D printing lately, with some tech luminaries even calling it the next industrial revolution.
But a recent report by Tech Pro Research suggests there’s still a long way to go — at least in the enterprise sector, according to ZDNet.
In a global survey conducted last month, only 12% of the total respondents said they are “actively using 3-D printers as part of our business operations.”
The report found 40% of respondents having “no plans to evaluate or implement” 3-D printers in their organizations. Another 29% said they are evaluating 3-D printers, but have “no implementation plans at the moment,” while 19% said they might consider implementation within the next 12 months.
When asked why they’re not using 3-D printers at their workplace, an overwhelming 66% of respondents said they just had no business need for the device. Another 43% said they don’t perform engineering or manufacturing work, while about 27% said they’re “unsure of the value they may bring.”
"There's no reason to implement a technology without a business need, but there may be better opportunities ahead for 3-D printing manufacturers to identify and communicate new business needs that organizations aren’t aware of,” the report noted.
The survey, however, only asked a total of 624 people and didn’t specify which industries they belong to, so the results should be taken with a grain of salt.
In fact, research firm Gartner said in a recent report that global shipments of 3-D printers would grow 75% in 2014 and nearly double in 2015. HP, for example, has made plans to enter the 3-D-printing market earlier this year, claiming the worldwide sales of 3-D printers and related software will reach $11 billion by 2012.
Stratasys shares were up as much as 19% Thursday after the 3-D printing company reported a 67% jump in quarterly revenue.
The Minnesota- and Israeli-based firm reported a net loss of $173,000, or break even on a per share basis, in the second quarter, compared with a loss of $2.8 million, or 7 cents per share, a year earlier, Reuters said.
Net revenue rose to $178.5 million from $106.5 million, Reuters said.
"We continue to observe strong positive sales momentum for our higher-performance systems and materials, which is reflected in the impressive 35% organic revenue growth we generated during the second quarter," said David Reis, chief executive officer of Stratasys, in the firm's release.
Rival 3D Systems is riding Stratasys' momentum and is up nearly 4%.
Full earnings release here and below:
Company reports $178.5 million in revenue, including 35% organic revenue growth over the same period last year
MakerBot contributes $33.6 million in revenue
Company reports non-GAAP net income growth of 51% over the same period last year to $28.0 million, or $0.55 per diluted share; GAAP net loss was $173,000, or ($0.00) per basic share
Company raises 2014 financial guidance and updates long-term operating model to reflect favorable business environment and impact of recent acquisitions
MINNEAPOLIS & REHOVOT, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Stratasys Ltd. (NASDAQ:SSYS) today announced record second quarter financial results.
Total revenue for the second quarter of 2014 was $178.5 million, an increase of 67% compared to the same period last year; or an increase of 35% when excluding the impact of acquisitions. Non-GAAP net income for the second quarter increased by 51% over the same period last year to $28.0 million, or $0.55 per diluted share. GAAP net loss for the period was $173,000, or ($0.00) per basic share.
MakerBot branded products and services contributed $33.6 million to second quarter revenue, driven by channel expansion initiatives and the successful introductions of new products within the rapidly expanding segment for desktop 3D printers.
The company raised its financial guidance for fiscal 2014 to account for an improved outlook for the remainder of the year, as well as to account for the recent acquisitions of Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies. The company raised its organic revenue growth forecast for 2014 to at least 30%, versus a previous forecast of at least 25%.
Revenue guidance for 2014 increased to $750 - $770 million; versus previous guidance of $660 - $680 million. Non-GAAP net income guidance increased to $2.25 - $2.35 per diluted share, versus previous guidance of $2.15 - $2.25 per diluted share.
The company also updated its long-term operating model, which included raising its long-term annual organic revenue growth forecast to at least 25%, versus previous guidance of at least 20%.
In the second quarter the company announced agreements to acquire Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies, which will be combined with RedEye, its existing digital manufacturing service business, to establish a single additive manufacturing services business unit. Both transactions closed in the third quarter, prior to the date of this release.
Q2-2014 Financial Results Summary:
"We continue to observe strong positive sales momentum for our higher-performance systems and materials, which is reflected in the impressive 35% organic revenue growth we generated during the second quarter," said David Reis, chief executive officer of Stratasys. "Equally impressive were the sales of MakerBot products and services, which contributed $33.6 million of revenue during the period, driven by our expanding distribution network and the successful launch of three MakerBot branded 3D printers in the first half of the year. We are very pleased with our second quarter results, which represent quarterly records in revenue, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP earnings per share."
Recent Business Highlights:
"We expect our positive momentum to continue as we begin the second half of 2014," continued Reis. "Reflecting our favorable outlook, we are increasing our projection for organic revenue growth in 2014 to at least 30%, and we are raising our financial guidance accordingly. In addition, we are adjusting our outlook to account for the recent acquisitions of Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies, acquisitions that we now believe will be modestly accretive to non-GAAP earnings per share in 2014. Longer term, we believe these acquisitions will enable us to better serve our customers, ultimately providing synergies for our combined organization. We are excited about our many opportunities, and believe we are well positioned within our rapidly growing industry."
Financial Guidance:
Stratasys updated the following information regarding the company's projected revenue and net income for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014:
GAAP financial guidance is not provided in this release given the initial accounting for the business combination of Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies is incomplete, thus making the supplemental information required to calculate GAAP earnings unavailable. GAAP financial guidance will be calculated and communicated upon the completion of that analysis.
Stratasys updated the following information regarding the company's long-term operating model:
Stratasys provided the following additional information regarding the company's performance and strategic plans for 2014:
Appropriate reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures are provided in a table at the end of this press release. The table provides itemized detail of the non-GAAP financial measures.
Stratasys Ltd. Q2-2014 Conference Call Details
Stratasys will hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter financial results on Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).
The investor conference call will be available via live webcast on the Stratasys Web site at www.stratasys.com under the "Investors" tab; or directly at the following web address: http://www.media-server.com/m/p/aeagor6k.
To participate by telephone, the domestic dial-in number is 877-415-3180 and the international dial-in is 857-244-7323. The access code is 84391755. Investors are advised to dial into the call at least ten minutes prior to the call to register. The webcast will be available for 90 days on the "Investors" page of the Stratasys Web site or by accessing the provided web address.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain information included or incorporated by reference in this press may be deemed to be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are often characterized by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may,""will,""expect,""anticipate,""estimate,""continue,""believe,""should,""intend,""project" or other similar words, but are not the only way these statements are identified. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the company's objectives, plans and strategies, statements that contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition (including, with respect to acquisitions) and all statements (other than statements of historical facts) that address activities, events or developments that the company intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The company has based these forward-looking statements on assumptions and assessments made by its management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Important factors that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, among other things: the company's ability to efficiently and successfully integrate the operations of Stratasys, Inc. and Objet Ltd. after their merger as well as MakerBot, Solid Concepts, and Harvest Technologies after their acquisitions and to successfully put in place and execute an effective post-merger integration plans; the overall global economic environment; the impact of competition and new technologies; general market, political and economic conditions in the countries in which the company operates; projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the company's strategy; government regulations and approvals; changes in customers' budgeting priorities; litigation and regulatory proceedings; and those factors referred to under "Risk Factors", "Information on the Company", "Operating and Financial Review and Prospects", and generally in the company's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), in the "Risk Factors" attached as Exhibit 99.3 to the Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K furnished by the company to the SEC on the date hereof, and in other reports that the company has furnished to, or filed with the SEC. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made in the company's SEC reports, which are designed to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may affect its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Non-GAAP Discussion Disclosure
The information discussed within this release includes financial results and projections that are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP). In addition, certain non-GAAP financial measures have been provided excluding certain charges, expenses and income. The non-GAAP measures should be read in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures and should be considered in addition to, and not as an alternative or substitute for, the measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measures are included in an effort to provide information that investors may deem relevant to evaluate results from the company's core business operations and to compare the company's performance with prior periods. The non-GAAP financial measures primarily identify and exclude certain discrete items, such as merger-related expenses, amortization expenses and expenses associated with share-based compensation required under ASC 718. The company uses these non-GAAP financial measures for evaluating comparable financial performance against prior periods.
This release is available on the Stratasys web site at www.stratasys.com
Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, is a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive and additive manufacturing solutions. The company's patented FDM®, PolyJet™ and WDM™ 3D Printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the company operates a digital-manufacturing service comprising RedEye, Solid Concepts and Harvest Technologies. Stratasys has more than 2,500 employees, holds over 560 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 25 awards for its technology and leadership. Online at: www.stratasys.com orhttp://blog.stratasys.com.
Up to this point, 3D printing has been something of a niche technology, as continual improvements are made to the experimental hardware and software. One of the areas that researchers are investigating is 3D-printed food, and experts at the Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Massachusetts have been looking into ways that Army rations could be produced remotely in the future.
Meals made to order means there's less waste and more variety, something that can have a significant impact when crates of food need to be transported thousands of miles. Another scenario is that soldiers could download and print out a dish based on the ingredients they've managed to forage from wherever they happen to be. While it's still some way from becoming a reality, it points to the potential that 3D printing technology offers.
"The benefits of actively participating in the advancement of 3D printing to the Army are great," said Andy Davis, Army Manufacturing Technology program manager, when speaking to Army Technology magazine. "Coupled with the reality of being able to minimize or eliminate support tooling, 3D printing has nearly limitless applications."
And one of those applications relates to food. The reality of the Army ration system means that meals are produced on a massive and uniform scale, but even if 3D chefs can't improve the taste, they can at least create something more personalized and tailored towards a specific soldier's diet. For now, most 3D food printers output a customized paste or confectionery mixture, but refinements to the technology are being made all the time.
"We're interested in maybe printing food that is tailored to a soldier's nutritional needs and then applying another novel process to render it shelf stable, if needed," says Lauren Oleksyk of the Natick Research Center. "Another potential application may be 3D printing a pizza, baking it, packaging it and putting it in a ration."
There's no set date for when 3D-printed rations might arrive or even when testing might begin, but it's an interesting glimpse into how the future of food on the battlefield or in the disaster zone might look.
SEE ALSO: Here's Why 3-D Printing Is Still A Niche Product In Enterprise
If the world eventually adopts self-driving cars, there could be an unexpected secondary impact on the availability of donor organs.
Google's doing self-driving cars because they are safer than the current human-operated situation that claims an average of 3,287 lives every single day. This unfortunate statistic represents one of the most ready sources of donor organs we have access to today.
"We have this huge problem that we sort of don’t talk about, that people die all the time from car accidents," said Bre Pettis, co-founder of 3-D printing company MakerBot, told Fortune. "It’s kind of insane. But the most interesting thing is, if we can reduce accidents and deaths, then we actually have a whole other problem on our hands of, ‘Where do we get organs?’"
Pettis has a solution, though. He thinks we will 3-D print organs to compensate for the drop in donations. "I don’t think we’ll actually be printing organs until we solve the self-driving car issue. The next problem will be organ replacement."
The reasoning goes that the more people we have in driverless cars, the fewer lethal accidents we'll have. If we cut down on accidents, fewer donor organs become available for those who might need new kidneys, hearts, lungs, or other body parts. Pettis is suggesting that it's only at this point that 3-D printing will become a viable means for manufacturing new organs from scratch.
He says that the problem of 3-D printing a functioning body part is as easy as squeezing "liver goo" into the shape of a liver, where the goo grows together to eventually yield a finished product. It's the science behind making the "liver goo" that represents the last hurdle to be overcome. The hardware for printing organs is already here, it's the chemical science behind making the goos that corresponds to various organs that needs to be investigated.
By normalizing the self-driving car, we stand to save some lives and set the scene to kick science up a notch as well. Having to find a new source of organs because people are traveling more safely is something we should call a "high quality problem."
The go-to line is that desktop 3D printers represent "the democratization of manufacturing."
If you have a printer of your own, there's nearly no limit to what you can make. You don't even need to be technically skilled in electronics or design.
People around the world are constantly uploading the digital files necessary to replicate their creations to a site that is especially popular among the 3D printing community: MakerBot's Thingiverse. While MakerBot sells its own line of 3D printers, you do not need to own one of theirs to use these files. Any printer that can read the files will do.
Here are some of the most impressive, interesting, or non-obvious applications of print-it-yourself manufacturing you can find on Thingiverse.
Think of it this way: You're at home, you want something, you print it.
Today, that can be a chess set, some shoes, or a playable violin.
Powered by 3D design software, the technology allows complex objects to be created in a single piece, layer by layer, bypassing traditional steps of design and production.
But 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is moving well beyond making plastic objects, or even rapid industrial prototyping. "Today, 3D printers can not only handle materials ranging from titanium to human cartilage but also produce fully functional components, including complex mechanisms, batteries, transistors, and LEDs," according a 2014 McKinsey Quarterly report.
It's having a transformative effect in medicine. The first houses are now being 3D printed. So are major parts of cars. And while many challenges remain — the costs and variety of materials, constraints around high-volume production — institutions such as governments and multinationals are investing billions of dollars in the technology that many argue could help power a third industrial revolution.
Produced and edited by Sam Rega.
SEE ALSO: The Most Interesting, Non-Obvious Things You Can Make At Home On A 3D Printer
For investors, the conversation about value in 3D printing stocks depends on one's time horizon. Last year, Goldman Sachs named the sector as one of its eight "creative destructor" industries that would remake the global economy. Analyst Cristina Colón presented the following chart showing a 16% 10-year compound annual growth rate.
"3D printing is penetrating the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries, among others," she wrote. "For example, Boeing now 3D prints 300 distinct airplane parts, noting a 25% to 50% cost savings per part. As materials properties improve and processes become more robust, 3D printing could become increasingly appealing for end-parts production."
The two largest publicly traded 3D printing firms have seen solid growth in recent years, but they have experienced a difficult 2014. Shares of Stratasys (SSYS), America's largest 3D printing company, have climbed more than 50% since August 2012 but are down 17% since Jan. 1. Likewise, 3D Systems (DDD) is up nearly 90% since summer 2012 but off approximately 45% this year.
The consensus seems to be this recent performance is not so much a no-confidence vote in the sector but more of a cooling-off period after the extreme run-up in interest that 3D printing saw last year among investors.
RBC Capital's Amit Daryanani remains bullish on the sector, calling it a "hyper-growth market" in a July note. The most recent evidence one could point to is Amazon's announcement in July that it would team up with two smaller 3D printing firms to offer 200 unique print-on-demand products, customizable in limitless ways.
As Marketwatch's Ben Pimental recently noted, Petra Schindler-Carter, Amazon’s director of marketplace sales, said the move “suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail — that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience.” And Piper Jaffray analyst Troy Jensen called Amazon's announcement “another validation regarding the future growth” for the 3-D printer industry.
Our two main 3D printing firms weren't directly affected by Amazon's announcement. Still, each have its own intrinsic advantages and are likely to benefit from the increased interest the announcement is likely to generate.
Let's take a look.
With 57% of the 3D printing space's market share, Stratasys sits atop the industry. The firm is seeing healthy demand across all its markets, especially for MakerBot, the desktop 3D printer it acquired the rights to in the fall of 2013. RBC's Daryanani notes the firm recently updated its long-term operating model to suggest higher organic revenue growth of 25% from 20% prior, and raised his price target to $130. Shares currently trade at close to $115.
"The firm should be able to sustain high double-digit revenue growth and industry-leading profitability as it benefits from a rapidly expanding additive manufacturing market and installed base," he writes.
Besides its market share, Daryanani likes the firm's wide range of printer capabilities, priced between $2,200 and $600,000. This "should enable it to capture a sustained upturn in industry growth," he says.
He also notes MakerBot sales have doubled to $34 million.
"The sustained strong growth of consumable sales (which includes MakerBot) suggests to us a greater installed base of printers is beginning to drive meaningful growth in higher-margin material demand," he says.
Earlier this year, a Credit Suisse team led by Jonathan Shaffer said Stratasys should come to dominate what he called the "prosumer" market of engineers, architects, educators, along with consumers, thanks to Stratasys' MakerBot, which rival 3D Systems doesn't have an answer to. He ended up revising this market segment's potential up more than 360% to $806 million.
"We draw a distinction between the prosumer (engineers, architects, education for desktop ideation and design prototyping) and consumer markets (home desktop printing with smaller build boxes primarily for trinkets)," he writes.
"Our analysis focuses on engineers and architects as primary prosumer customers; these are quantifiable groups with clear use cases; however, we do not think the opportunity is limited to these groups. High-level hobbyists, for instance, continue to be a significant growth driver; the number of amateur "tinkerers" is simply difficult to estimate as are non-engineer product designers. SSYS has much higher exposure to the consumer and prosumer markets than does DDD."
Here's his comparison between 3D and Stratasys to the consumer and prosumer market:
Stratasys now enjoys a gross margin of 59.8%, which is 60 points higher than where it was a year ago. Revenue from Stratasys' services component climbed 50% quarter-on-quarter, although its Redeye parts division has now under-performed for three-straight quarters. But RBC's Daryanani says recent acquisitions should allow this division to grow 79% YOY for 2014.
T. Rowe Price is Stratasys' largest shareholder. As of June 30 it controlled 10.75% of shares outstanding at a value of $604 million.
Stratasys now employs more than 1,500 people in 20+ offices worldwide. It is based n Minneapolis and Israel.
"Triple D," as it's often known because of its stock ticker, was founded in 1986 by Charles Hull, the man considered to have invented 3D printing. Headquartered in Rock Hill, S.C., 3D Systems employs more than 1,000 people in 25 offices worldwide.
RBC's Daryanani says he remains bullish on DDD despite some recent setbacks that caused him to lower his price target to $64 from $78. Shares currently trade at around $50 a share.
His base case sees shares growing 28% long term. DDD boasts 18% of the 3D printing market share, a solid position from which to capitalize on the industry's growth. 3D Systems has seven distinct types of printing lines, making it the most diverse printer in the market and allowing it to address multiple end-users. Its business lines run the gamut: hardware, materials, software, and services. Its printer speeds have doubled every 18 months, and it now has more than 15 metal materials to choose from.
"DDD has built an attractive services, materials, and on-demand portfolio that should increase customer stickiness and visibility into future profits," Daryanani says.
DDD enjoys lots of "dry powder" in the form of $600 million in cash, and an average free cash flow of 70% of income, with which to make deals, he writes. DDD's 'Quickparts' unit, which allows customers to do rapid prototyping; materials development; medical; and metal services are most ripe for expansion, he says.
The risks are not insubstantial. In Daryanani's bear case, shares slide back to $40 if small-scale prototyping and hobbyists come to comprise too large a share of the market. DDD has also become heavily reliant on acquiring other firms — 40 in the past four years.
"If it has difficultly integrating recent acquisitions along with slower industry growth expectations, we think operating leverage could be affected negatively," he writes.
Still, Daryanani writes that they will do approximately $1 billion in sales in FY15, up from about $700 million in FY2014.
The Vanguard Group is 3D Systems' largest institutional shareholder with 5.35% of shares outstanding valued at $351 million as of June 30.
Beyond these two companies, there are three other publicly traded firms worth watching. One is an American firm that specializes in additive manufacturing though is not strictly 3D. The other two are German companies specializing in industrial-scale 3D printing, and both have struggled of late.
Shares in Minnesota-based Proto Labs Inc. (PRLB) have climbed 165% since its 2012 IPO. The company promises “Real Parts, Really Fast” but uses a proprietary form of traditional CNC machining and injection molding processes to do so. However, it recently bought a 3D printing firm, and Jefferies analyst Jason North says Proto Labs stands to benefit from the broader 3D trend, at least initially.
"By leveraging its proprietary technology to accelerate conventional manufacturing processes, the company has built a disruptive business model, significantly lowering the time to delivery at prices that are typically below those of traditional operators," North writes.
"In the near-term Proto Labs and 3D printing are complementary as 3D printing prototypes are often used in the design phase and Proto Labs prototypes tend to be used more for form-and-fit and functional testing. While initially small at first, parts that can only be manufactured using 3D printing will not be prototyped using Proto Labs’ traditional processes but on 3D printers. And as the capabilities of 3D printers continue to expand, we expect to see increasing competition with Proto Labs."
ExOne, which trades on the NASDAQ as XONE, has seen its shares fall more than 50% YTD, and at $30 it's now just 7% higher than its February 2013 IPO price. German firm Voxeljet, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange as VJET, specializes in industrial 3D printing and on-demand metal casting. It too has seen equally disastrous performance, falling 47% from its late 2013 IPO.
In April, The Wall Street Journal's Matt Jarzemsky reported it had sold 3 million shares for $15 each. That was 19% below its predeal closing price. As of April 11, U.S.-listed follow-on offerings had priced at an average 5.4% below their predeal closing prices, Jarzemsky said.
Goldman's Colón is convinced the market for 3D is explosive. She values the immediate market at $2.2 billion, with a $30 billion value chain. Colón cites a consulting firm that has forecast a 23% compound annual growth rate from 2013 to 2020, with annual revenues reaching $6 billion by 2017 and $10.8 billion by 2021.
"Compared to traditional manufacturing and prototyping methods, 3D printing offers the potential for high degrees of customization, reduced costs for complex designs, and lower overhead costs for short-run parts and products," she writes. "The industry has been growing in excess of 20% annually and is widely expected to accelerate in the years ahead."
Jefferies' North is more measured in his forecast, especially for the consumer market, noting that early results from Amazon's foray have been disappointing. But he remains optimistic overall.
"Penetration analysis indicates several more years of good growth," he writes. "We estimate the prototyping/prosumer/education penetration rate is currently 9%-23% and will rise to 29%-76% in 2017, assuming the low-end (<$5000) grows at 30%-50% and the high-end (>$5000) at 25%. The range in [total addressable market] sizes depends on how far 3D printing will engage not just MCAD users who are already heavy prototypers but also the general CAD user."
Gartner Group believes the consumer 3D printing remains quite immature. "Consumer 3D printing is around five to 10 years away from mainstream adoption,"Gartner research vice president Pete Basiliere said in a statement Aug. 20, noting that even at a few hundred dollars the average price for a 3D printer remains too high for many consumers.
He said the market remains too diffuse, with about 40 manufacturers selling 3D printers and over 200 startups worldwide developing and selling consumer-oriented 3D printers.
But it's better to be too early than too late.
SEE ALSO: How 3D Printing Will Revolutionize Our World
SEE ALSO: Read more in the series.
So you want to buy a 3D printer.
The appeals are obvious: Manufacture anything you want out of plastic, right on your desktop. There's no cause to go to the store to buy something that was made in China, put on a boat, loaded onto a truck, and placed on a shelf.
3D printers can make nearly any object you can dream up by laying down small layers of plastic on top of each other. People around the world use them to make everything from artwork to practical everyday items.
3D print a fork. 3D print a whistle. You're limited only by your imagination, and you can get started by printing innumerable things people have already designed and uploaded for you to experiment with.
But before you can do any of that, you need to figure out which printer is right for you.
SEE ALSO: The Most Interesting, Non-Obvious Things You Can Make At Home On A 3D Printer
Easily the most affordable 3D printer for consumers out there, the MOD-t features a reimagined design to reduce the number of parts it needs to function. The company behind it, New Matter, ran its pre-orders through IndieGogo, and those who got in at the ground floor were able to scoop them up at a surprisingly low $200.
Pre-orders have since ended, so you'll have to spend a little more money to get your hands on one, but this printer is perfect for those who want to dip their toes in the 3D printing pond without breaking the bank. It performs at a level comparable to much pricier 3D printers.
MakerBot is easily credited with being one of the first companies to mainstream the idea of consumer 3D printing. It's made a number of 3D printers available over the years and its Replicator is from the company's fifth generation of products, so you know it's been tweaked and refined many times over.
The MakerBot community is especially strong — users frequently upload and share the digital files necessary for others to create 3D models at home on their own devices by way of a site called Thingiverse. (And you don't even necessarily need to own a MakerBot product to take advantage of it!)
You'll have to put it together from parts, but that's why this one's so affordable (and is arguably why it's appealing to those who want to get their hands dirty and learn their printer from the inside out).
Considering its low price point and the fact that you have to assemble it yourself, this might just be the perfect printer for someone who wants to know everything about 3D printing.
People use 3D printers to create far more than simple household devices or figurines — printable objects range from firearms to artwork.
Now, for the first time in history, medical researchers have used this transformative technology to replace an essential bone in the spine of a 12-year-old Chinese boy.
"This is the first use of a 3D printed vertebra as an implant for orthopedic spine surgery in the world,” said the surgeon behind the project, Dr. Liu Zhongjun, director of the orthopedics department at Peking University.
Several months ago the boy, Minghao, felt an injury in his neck after heading a ball while playing soccer. After examining his spine, doctors realized he had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. A malignant tumor was growing in his second vertebra. The bone, which helps protect the spine and support the body, had to be removed and replaced.
Minghao waited in the hospital for a couple months, barely able to lift his head.
Normally, replacing a vertebra requires using cement and screws to surgically attach a hollow titanium tube in the place of the old bone. Recovery takes a few months, and even then, the tube doesn't fit naturally with the spine.
Over time there's a slight risk that the tube could slip out of place or jam into bones, especially as the body changes, according to Zhongjun.
But last month Zhongjun and his team installed a 3D-printed bone specially designed to fit precisely into Minghao's spine. Zhongjun and his team have been working on this advance in medical technology for several years and began clinical trials in 2012, but Minghao is the first person to receive this implant, and one month after surgery, he is reportedly doing well.
The precise fit of the implant should allow him to recover more quickly and should be much stronger than a traditional vertebra replacement, according to Zhongjun.
Most consumer 3D printers build things out of plastic, though different materials can be used by different machines. The Chinese team printed this implant using titanium powder, the material most orthopedic implants are made from because it's biocompatible, light, and strong.
Custom printing the implant according to a scan of Minghao's spine allowed the surgical team to do more than just make a new vertebra that fit perfectly in-between the first and third vertebrae. The titanium replacement bone is filled with tiny pores that will allow real bone to naturally grow through it, fusing it even more naturally as part of Minghao's spine.
Minghao now has the first 3D-printed vertebra in existence — though it will still take some time before the full results of the surgery are seen.
Developing the ability to replace vertebrae is a huge step.
These bones are part of the system that supports the body and has a huge impact on much of the movement involved in everyday life. But Minghao isn't the only person that's had a replacement bone or body part designed and printed for him.
In 2013, the Mayo Clinic printed and installed a hip replacement for a woman named Brooke Hayes who would have had trouble with a traditional artificial hip. And in 2011, Belgian researchers printed a titanium artificial jaw for a woman who had lost hers because of an infection. A Dutch hospital even replaced a 22-year-old woman's skull with a 3D-printed version.
New body parts aren't limited to bones either. 3D-printed body parts can be used to stop a windpipe from collapsing and soon may be able to replace skin. Organs are expected to be next— starting with the pancreas or liver.
The orthopedic implant industry is projected to grow 7.7% a year in the U.S. alone, to $52 billion in 2015, according to a Freedonia report cited by Jennifer Hicks at Forbes.
In other words, demand for these better and more personalized implants will only increase. And as scientists develop the ability to better replace injured or damaged body parts, more and more people's lives will be transformed.
SEE ALSO: How 3D Printing Will Revolutionize Our World
SEE ALSO: Here Are The Best Consumer 3D Printers On The Market
The world of medicine is being transformed by 3D-printing technology.
In Beijing, doctors have performed the world's first surgery using a 3D-printed vertebra. The procedure was done in the neck of a 12-year-old boy who had developed cancer.
In New York, similar breakthroughs are underway. At NYU Langone Medical Center, a team is using 3D-printing technology to help plan and execute "Jaw-in-a-day" surgery that was the first of its kind in the United States. Meanwhile, scientists at Cornell University are at work on prototypes for a 3D-printed ear, and at Mount Sinai Hospital, research is focused on bioprinting trachea, more commonly known as windpipes. Once achieved, patients will be able to both breathe and speak.
Dr. David Hirsch, who led the NYU Langone team in the breakthrough jaw surgery, told Business Insider, "This technology is limitless. The only thing that's limited is our ability to think about new applications for it."
Produced by France Costrel. Edited by Sam Rega.
The possibilities for 3D printing are endless — from instruments and toys to robots and mechanical parts, there's almost no limit to what a 3D printer can create.
And now, designers and fashion enthusiasts are jumping on the bandwagon. While fashion designers have been using 3D-printed materials since 2010, their range has been limited until recently.
"3D printed pieces are restricted to the materials that a machine can print with, and with this in mind, designers are often visually restricted in terms of what can be made," said Faith Robinson, content curator for global 3D technology showcase 3D Printshow. "With the recent introduction of multi-material, multi-color printing (at a more accessible price point), trends within 3D-printed fashion are moving away from the rigid, white 3D-printed nylon structures and towards pieces that look more 'real.'
Some designers, like Australia-based XYZ Workshop, are even making their designs available for download, which means anyone with a 3D printer can customize and create their own clothing. With 3D printers becoming more prevalent and affordable, it's truly the next frontier in fashion.
"Accompanied by 3D scanning technology, 3D printing can allow for the most incredible levels of personalization in fashion," Robinson said. "It's a new understanding of accessible haute couture."
Source: Materialise
Source: Materialise
Source: Shapeways, Francis Bitonti
Kids used to have a fairly limited choice when buying their own My Little Pony. No more. Imagine getting to decide exactly what color your pony's hair is. Or what the saddle looks like. Now kids can customize their own unique toy, thanks to the innovations of 3D printing.
The toy industry is among the biggest beneficiaries of the technology. Toys already tend to be small and made out of plastic, making it easy to 3D print them.
McKinsey estimates the total economic impact of 3D printing technology will be $230-$550 billion per year by 2025, $100-$300 billion of which will be direct consumer products such as toys.
My Little Pony rolled out a microsite called SuperFanArt that lets you sift through unique models for you to have 3D printed. You can also sign up to design the models that are featured on the site.
Hasbro announced a partnership with 3D Systems in February to "deliver new immersive, creative play experiences." And in June it filed a patent that may hint at a 3D printing platform for Transformers.
The patent mentions "toy action figures" and discusses a "technology that enables users to download, modify, and share three-dimensional designs on the Internet for use with computer driven machines for making three-dimensional embodiments of the designs."
But Hasbro's not the only player integrating 3D printing into the toy industry. One company called Makies lets kids design their own doll online and then bring it life. You can customize everything down to the ears and mouth of the doll.
A company called That'sMyFace.com even lets you upload a picture of yourself and then create an action figure with your face.
And then there's general 3D printing marketplaces like Shapeways that have toy categories. There are about 4,200 toys available on the site, each with the option to customize, whether by color or even material of the toy. For instance, this "Deicidium blade" (which may mean something to Transformer fans) can be printed in three different kinds of plastic and in six different colors.
3D printing enables creativity, which is always a good thing for the toy industry.
"I think children have a creative need to try to do something different so I think 3D printing with the capability of scanning or taking input from digital data makes it relatively simple to do customization of the product," Jon Cobb, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Stratasys told Business Insider.
But besides for creativity, it also speeds up and simplifies the manufacturing process of making toys, which in turn lowers the cost.
For instance Mattel uses 3D printers for its brands like Hot Wheels and Barbie simply as a more efficient way to manufacture the toys.
3D printing is even enabling new research in the toy industry. Disney researchers have used 3D printing to figure out how to make oddly-shaped spinning tops that remain balanced by designing an algorithm that prints the object with strategically placed hollow spaces to keep the weight centered.
SEE ALSO: The Most Interesting, Non-Obvious Things You Can Make At Home On A 3D Printers
SEE ALSO: Here Are The Best Consumer 3D Printers On The Market
Manufacturing in the U.S. will never be what it was. Employment in the sector is down nearly 50% from its May 1979 peak, and fell more than 10% during the Great Recession.
But 3D printing, which last fall Credit Suisse forecast could grow up to 30%, has the potential to reshape how America makes stuff, creating new high tech jobs in the U.S. and bringing old ones back from abroad.
“I see manufacturing taking a profound turn with additive technologies in the next five years," S. Kent Rockwell, CEO of 3D printing firm ExOne, said in a recent PriceWaterhouseCoopers report. "We’ll see elite job shops grow, and new start-ups grow. We’ll also see blue-collar employees learn the technology and adapt and start wearing white shirts."
3D printing, which is also known as additive manufacturing, is the process of creating products and parts on site.
"We’ll see elite job shops grow, and new start-ups grow. We’ll also see blue-collar employees learn the technology and adapt and start wearing white shirts."
The labor input savings 3D printing can yield for employers are substantial — and at the same time, the technology appears poised to create markets for new, higher-skilled jobs. Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, gave PwC the example of a small tool-and-die casting company whose costs start falling as their upfront investment in a 3D printing pays off, allowing them to take on larger-scale jobs that require more complexity.
"As we see the possibilities of new materials expand and the cost of industrial printers go down, and the print speeds rise, you’ll see adoption not only by larger companies, but also by the smaller companies," he said.
Paul said that viability could become an issue for those who aren't willing to make the leap.
3D printing is already reshaping job requirements at industrial conglomerates. GE Aviation, for example, is developing 3D printed (or additively manufactured) fuel nozzles to be used in its LEAP engine for commercial planes.
"I actually see additive as producing situations where you’re going to have higher-skilled positions that companies are going to need to fill, both on the technician level, and the engineering and design level,"Greg Morris, who leads the GE team, told Business Insider. "And I frankly think you’ll see a different type of machining that will challenge the current state of machining, meaning you’ll get complex parts that a machinist will have to work with versus starting with a block of material. So you’re not replacing machinists, you’re just asking them to learn a little different skill set of what they start with and work with."
The growth of 3D manufacturing may end up reverberating through global labor markets. Brian Krassenstein, founder of 3D Printing news site 3DPrint.com, says that as manufacturing costs rise in China and fall in the U.S., jobs at megafactories like Foxconn could begin to disappear.
"In fact, we have already seen this beginning to happen with Apple and Google," he writes. "Sure, many of these jobs will be suited best for machines, but someone has to maintain these machines, manage the supply chains, and oversee production."
Large firms' search for more efficient labor that first gave rise to offshoring. If they can once again find it at home, they will act decisively.
"3-D printing ... appears poised to bring about a global trade rebalancing, as the new economics of manufacturing rewards high-skill workforces like that of the U.S. and make supplies of cheap labor in countries like China less relevant,"National Journal's Ben Schreckinger wrote recently.
"Upstream" manufacturing, the point at which goods are produced, is likely to feel the most effects from the growth of 3D printing. But the jobs impact could also flow downstream to retail. Angel investor Esther Dyson has written that furniture sellers and other household goods peddlers could start disappearing, replaced by individuals who manufacture and sell furniture at the same location.
"Over time, these print shops will replace thousands of stores carrying millions of items, some of which sit around for months waiting to be bought," she says. "They will print goods using designs from online services that offer designs for both open-source, free-design goods and branded goods that may not seem very distinct except for a logo."
The impact 3D printing could have on manufacturing has already been acknowledged by President Obama, who launched the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. In his 2013 State of the Union address, Obama talked up the institute, which is run out of a manufacturing facility in Youngstown, Ohio.
"A once-shuttered warehouse is now a state-of-the art lab where new workers are mastering the 3D printing that has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything," Obama said.
Not everyone agrees the technology's impact on labor will be so enormous. Right now, 95% of 3D printing is used to make small industrial parts like GE's nozzle. Writing on Gizmodo, Nick Allen, the founder of 3D printing company 3D Print UK, believes limitations on output quality will prevent 3D printers becoming a mass-market item. Thus, there will still be a need for people to hawk non-3D printed food and personal supplies.
"3D printing will continue to grow in areas like the prototyping market, low-volume production runs (on very high-end machines), medical, aerospace — the list goes on," he writes. "But as an everyday household object? I’m not convinced."
Despite their growth, the biggest 3D printing firms, like 3D Systems and Stratsys, only employ a few thousand people. PwC found that 45.3% of manufacturers attributed their “lack of current expertise in our company to fully exploit the technology” as a barrier to implementing 3D printing into their business.
But these are only the firms that are directly in the industry. Retail, product development, and manufacturing firms all potentially stand in 3D printing's firing line— and as International Labour Organization's David Seligson points out, 3D printing is likely to blur the line between jobs in these industries.
"Take, for example, the car company that wants to move from printing prototypes of components to printing those components at scale," he said. "That would effectively mean that its model-makers would be doing the work of assembly-line workers, which could lead to contractual disputes and complaints over deskilling, intellectual property and so on."
It may simply be too early to say what the technology's lasting impact will be. Even 3DPrint.com's Krassenstein acknowledges as much.
"You could ask a hundred economists what they think will eventually happen once the 3D printing and robotics markets mature, and you will likely get a hundred different answers," he writes. "We have seen what technology has done in the past, destroying millions of jobs, but in the process creating tens of millions of new jobs. There is little reason to believe that this wave of progress will be any different."
SEE ALSO: How 3D Printing Will Revolutionize Our World
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Architects around the globe are racing to build the world's first 3D printed houses — a breakthrough with profound implications for housing affordability and customization.
In China, a company named Winsun this year said it built 10 3D printed houses in just one day. The reported cost for each: just $5,000.
In Amsterdam, a team of architects has started construction of the 3D Print Canal House, using bio-based, renewable materials. The site is both construction site and public museum; President Obama was among the visitors this year. Hedwig Heinsman, co-founder of DUS architects, the team behind the project, tells Business Insider that in addition to being ec0-friendly, "The main goal, I think, is really to deliver custom-made architecture."
3D printers build structures layer by layer. But at USC in California, Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis is pushing the fabrication process one step further with what he calls "contour crafting." He hopes to develop a gigantic 3D printer, able to print whole house in a single run, from its structure to its electrical and plumbing conduits.
The revolution in 3D printed housing, in other words, is well underway.
Produced by France Costrel. Edited by Sam Rega.
SEE ALSO: Doctors Show Why 3D Printing Holds 'Limitless' Potential For Medicine
