Further proof of the plummetting cost of 3D printing comes from Desktop factory (”It’s a 3D world, print that way”) who are now taking orders for their Desktop Factory 125ci 3D Printer. This has a 5×5x5 inch build envelope using 0.01 inch layers of material at a cost of $1 per cubic inch. The site seems a bit coy about the material and printing technology details but does say:

The Desktop Factory 3D printer, which has a list price of $4,995, uses an inexpensive halogen light source and drum printing technology to build robust parts layer by layer from composite plastic powder.

The site goes on to point out that:

The Desktop Factory 3D printer is about the same size as early laser printers with the initial product measuring about 25 x 20 x 20 inches and weighing less than 90 lbs.

How long before we see an enterprising company offering these to schools in the UK?

Torben

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2007 at 11:03 pm and is filed under Fab@School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.