Will it be adopted?
Form 1: An affordable, professional 3D printer
Link: http://formlabs.com/
The Product:
Form 1 is an affordable, high resolution 3D
printer for professional creators such as designers, architectures, and manufacturers
who need to make prototypes of the future products. 3D printing is a technology
of making a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a
digital model created on the computer. This is one of the most advanced
manufacturing machines ever existed in human history.
This product is engineered to produce high
resolution parts with the touch of button. It comes with software which is
intuitive and simple to use, so you can spend less time setting up prints and
more time designing. The printer also comes with the post-processing kit which
keeps the desktop organized so that the consumers can easily put the finishing
touches.
Core Technology
3D printing is the most advanced form-creating
technology in human history.
The existing 3D printing uses the extruded
plastic (FDM) which is simply not capable of the high resolution and quality
surface finish necessary for professional work. Form 1, on the other hand, uses
a technology called Stereolithography (SL) for accuracy and resolution. With SL
technology, a laser is used to draw on the surface of a liquid plastic resin
that hardens when exposed to a certain wavelength of light; the laser draws and
hardens a layer at a time until the entire model is built.
Analysis/Evaluation
3D printing is a revolutionary technology that
will transform manufacturing and allow more people to start making things.
Manufacturing, or making things, is a fundamental technology that enabled human
advancements. Traditionally, manufacturing required very complicate processes
and enormous human labor. As society developed, most of the humans relied on
job specialization to fill the needs of various types of manufactured goods.
Even nowadays, people simply do not have resources and skills to create
products on their own. However, this product/technology is transferring the
manufacturing skills, essentially a how-to-make-things technology, onto the
machine. This could be just the beginning of a much bigger technological shift
ever happened in human history.
At the moment, 3D printers can only produce
simple forms of products which virtually have no complex functions other than
for designing purposes. It cannot manufacture products that consist of
different parts and materials.
However, even with current limitations, Form 1
can be very quickly adopted into various industries that find 3D printing as a
convenient solution for manufacturing products that require complex design but
with minimal requirement for functionality. With 3D printer, people can design
the products on the computer with specialized software, “print” the products
within the matter of hours, and transfer the manufacturing specifications
through the internet. Therefore, 3D printing is a much faster and precise
solution for making things; and this applies to everyone who needs
manufacturing. The primary industries that use this technology include jewelry,
footwear, industrial design, architecture, engineering and construction,
automotive, aerospace, dental and medical industries, education, geographic
information systems, civil engineering, and many other fields.
Form 1 might be one of the cheapest 3D
printers in the market. However, it is still too expensive and too specialized
for the general public. For quicker and broader acceptance to the public, Form
1 needs to be cheaper and the designing process should be intuitive and streamlined.
Also, it needs to be able to print complex, working products with more
functions. Once the 3D printing is able to produce virtually any products
within a reasonable amount of time at an affordable price, this product will be
adopted everywhere in the world within a matter of few years. Imagine a world
where a businessman in Korea gets an email attachment from his business partner
in the United States and “prints out” a full-functioning smart phone simply
with one click.
Kevin Park
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