Guys I have been reading a whole lot about 3D Printing these last few weeks. I am also trying to think up business ideas. What’s your opinion on the 3D Printing Industry in General? Will it be the next big thing like the Internet? Will we have Star Trek like Replicators in our homes within the next couple decades like these predictions says: http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.php?664-3D-Printing-Future-Timeline ? Is now the time to start thinking of ways to get involved in the industry?
[FONT=Georgia]I think 3D printers are really cool!
I’d love to play with one.
I’m sure there are a tonne of applications like making personalised novelty items or maybe board game pieces or puzzles?
I don’t know what to say on the future of the industry. I guess an economist might have to advise you on that.
Or where’s @Francky ; ? He knows everything about everything.[/FONT]
Aha, I see my image building method is working! 
“Only say something if you are pretty sure about it, and otherwise keep your mouth shut.” 
In this case, I’m keeping my mouth shut for another reason. Within 5 years the whole world will know “Francky”: it is the short name for the “Francky Company for 3D Printing Models”, which I’m building behind the scenes; it will earn more than Google and Microsoft together. 
But serious, I’m no business woman, and don’t know what the future will bring for 3D printing.
I can imagine there will be a market for loose parts of old and new cars (or vacuum cleaners, or …), then a dealer doesn’t have to maintain a huge stock hall with everything in it. A good 3D printer and a database with all models will be enough then.
On the other hand, if I need water pump pliers and don’t live in a remote place far away from a city, I will not buy the expensive 3D printer but will go to the Hardware Store around the corner.
We have just brought a 3D printer at work - rip-rap pro - and it is interesting. The guy who is running it only started setting it up last night but I can never see it being a production unit as it is slow.
The quality of the final item is not great but you can get more expensive units that give a better quality; although we had a sample sent in from a company made on a £20,000 machine and it did not look much better than the £600 rip-rap!
It looks good for prototyping or making one offs where the visual appearance is not important. The plastic can be pitty, has excess plastic hanging off it and you can see the lines where the plastic was laid down. Although we do have some samples from £80,000 machines that look a lot better.
Some units have multiple heads where you can use different plastics or a wax that can support parts and is dissolved out later. I was told the sample from one machine was a toy motorbike wheel which was made from a hard plastic and it had a rubber tyre printed on at the same time.
I have read there are units for chocolate and I belive pasta now. The one I would like to get is the metal one that uses to make metal components.
Interesting discussion, been searching for more info on 3D printing business also and hoping to find some ideas here… keep it coming.
I agree and see an increase in the demand for good 3D Modelers to create the software that drives the machines.
Yes I think it will evolve into something big. At the moment 3D printers are relatively crude but once people have tested and refined them a few times we should see some even more radical things happening.
I can see this being the “foot in the door” for something “Star Trekky”, though we’re probably a long way off right now. There’s no reason why you can’t take basic food ingredients such as soya and sugar and using 3D printers to knock out “replica” food that looks like the real thing.
@Rubble, so you’re saying I could print my own chocolate bunnies? On a more serious note, I think it is going to take quite a few years before it is mainstream. Although, I could be wrong since “digital natives” may not have trouble adapting to new things the way previous generations have. It will be an interesting progression to watch!
Apparently so: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25647918
At the minute 3D printing has a way to go - it’s more expensive than buying goods that have been manufactured and most of the personal printers only seem to work with plastic-type materials (look at what hobbyists are printing and you’ll see lots of plastic stuff - do you really want that in your house). There are some amazing printers out there - you can even find some that print in gold (!) but they cost the earth.
However, I really think that it is the future once the price/quality issues get sorted - it will return manufacturing to developed countries and change people’s lives
This is so Sci-Fi…like the food replicator in Star Trek. That link to verify the ability to make chocolate bunnies blew my mind. Manufacturing in the 21st Century. Truly amazing. So many people have been talking about this, but like augmented reality, is it going to be put into use in it’s current state, or will there have to be some adjustments to get it into mainstream use? Good stuff…I want to try those chocolate creations to see if they are, like Captain Picard would say, “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot”