3D metal printing
Anyone who makes their own design can now let it be produced three-dimensionally in metal by a 3D metal printing technique developed by the company ShapeWays. Actually it's not really 3D printing in which the model is built up sphere by sphere, but it's burned out by a laser. So you start with a massive piece of metal and burn exactly the shape you want.
Future Vision by Erwin Van Lun on this article
It’ll only speed up the mass-customization trend: later on you’ll be able to choose models created by others, adapt them just a little for yourself and have them produced. Of course this is marvelous for art objects, but what to think of, for example, spare parts for old-timers? If car manufacturers publicize their (3d) drawings, you can reproduce everything. After 15 years, after 50 years. Manufacturers’ll have to focus on supporting products from the past for this, however, even if they don’t really want to think about that anymore.
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Reaction by Boris Toet op Dec 30, 2008 09:18
Hopefully the byproducts can be recycled! Otherwise this is a rather wastefull and expensive solution.
Gonna have a look on their website, it seems like a promissing technology.