3-D Printing: Well hellooo, Mr. Jetson

Printing on paper??? That's SO... 2010... 

The NY Times just published an article on the increasing democratization of 3-D printers, which use thin layers of plastic, powder and metal to translate digital designs into objects.  The objects are created by stacking layers of material on top of another, "much the same way a pastry chef makes baklava with sheets of phyllo dough" (nytimes).

3-D printing has been used for years in manufacturing to create prototypes.  BUT where the printers used to cost around $100,000 you can now purchase the printers for as little as $1,000-5,000.  Companies are using them to create custom furniture, prosthetic legs, purses, jewelry and... wait for it... houses...

Yes, I said houses: a start-up company, Contour Crafting, is seeking money to commercialize a machine capable of building an entire house in one go using a machine that fits on the back of a tractor-trailer" (nytimes).  

Charles Overy, founder of LGM

This is incredibly exciting and innovative. As technology becomes less and less expensive, doors open up for creative people to run through. However at the same time, applications like these could put a lot of people out of jobs (think about the end of automation).  Yes, it's a bit dramatic, but it's out there.  

Ok, I'm going to hop into my space mobile now...

via nytimes