14 DAY TRIAL // Machines that could create three dimensional objects all on their own used to be fairy tales, things that people dreamed about during flights of fancy, but now they are accessible to everyone.
Granted, ”everyone” might be a bit of a stretch, since only one 3D Printing store exists in the whole world, but that is the whole point: it exists.
The first 3D Printing store has been opened in Manhattan, New York. MakerBot is the company that made it happen, through its Replicator 2 printer.
The simplest description of a 3D printer is that it is a contraption that can create objects so long as they aren't too large for its frame.
The Replicator 2 has a precision of 100 microns, much better than the 270 microns of the previous generation. Imperfections should be minimal, even on smooth surfaces.
Among the things that the 3D Printer can do is create wrenches, car components, game pads, basically everything from simple items to working mechanisms.
They won't look perfect of course, but they promise to work. There is also the matter of being able to print things that don't exist anymore.
At this point, we are certain that 3D printing technology can only progress well, although we wonder how successful the 3D printing store will be. It all depends on the prices asked in exchange for the printing services and the printers themselves, and whether or not this project for an open-source and cheap model gets off the ground.
Analysts predict that the 3D printing market will be worth around $3 Billion in 2018, or 2.47 Billion Euro according to exchange rates. For that to happen, other stores like this one will need to open, and we have no doubt that they will. Unfortunately, we do not have a time frame for that, or for when the next big milestone will be achieved.
