HP hopes its 3D printers will drive the 'next industrial revolution'
HP wants to drive the "next industrial revolution" and spark a change in the way products are manufactured with its new 3D printers.
HP wants to drive the "next industrial revolution" and spark a change in the way products are manufactured with its new 3D printers.
3D printing has lost its novelty value a bit, but new printing materials that MakerBot plans to release will soon make it a lot more interesting again.
While still a nascent market in China, the production and sale of 3D printers are expected to quadruple over the next four years, according to a new report.
3D printer prices are dropping into a range that could appeal to home users.
3D printing has slowly been on the rise for the past few years, but it has yet to have a major mainstream break though. It largely still only appeals to a niche audience of makers, and that's because it's intimidating. Machines require calibration and tinkering when they're first set up, and sometimes it takes days of tweaking before you can get a successful first print. Installing the correct software and adjusting the object files can be difficult, too. Sure, for hobbyists and printing enthusiasts, tweaking is part of the fun, but for beginners it's just too complicated.
Learning to use a 3D printer for the first time is not complicated, but learning to do it well comes with a significant learning curve.
The number of 3D printer vendors rose from five last year to more than 20 this year, and prices for their machines have come down dramatically.