Re:Poll: Do you have a 3d printer?
by pbo on Thursday May 02, 2013 @10:37AM
(#5644707)
I have used 3D printing in two different contexts:
- At a research lab. They had a massive Stratasys which cost around $30,000. They used it all the time for experiment setups; they had a whole workshop with CNC mills, lathes, etc. and the 3D printer was one machine among the others. It was used as much as the others, no less, no more.
- At a hardware startup. We never bought a 3D printer, but we used on-demand 3D printing services (Shapeways, Ponoko, Sculpteo, etc). This allowed us to iterate rather quickly on design matters - we were doing consumer electronics.
For my personal use I don't think I'll buy a 3D printer within the next 5 years.
- At a research lab. They had a massive Stratasys which cost around $30,000. They used it all the time for experiment setups; they had a whole workshop with CNC mills, lathes, etc. and the 3D printer was one machine among the others. It was used as much as the others, no less, no more.
- At a hardware startup. We never bought a 3D printer, but we used on-demand 3D printing services (Shapeways, Ponoko, Sculpteo, etc). This allowed us to iterate rather quickly on design matters - we were doing consumer electronics.
For my personal use I don't think I'll buy a 3D printer within the next 5 years.