For desktop designers, consumer-grade 3-D printers are nothing short of revolutionary. But the technology is still fairly crude, limited to producing "low-resolution" shapes made out of plastic. What's next? There are a host of new tools coming down the pike that promise to radically improve both the form and function of the stuff you can print, from chess pieces to chocolate.
Light-Based 3-D Printer Kits
What does it do? Prints complex shapes with high resolution, smooth surfaces.
Hobby printers like the MakerBot utilize a technology called “Fused Deposition Modeling” or FDM which is robust and affordable, but can only produce simple, low-resolution parts. Next generation 3-D printer kits will feature “Stereolithography,” which uses liquid resins and high-power lights to print objects. The output of these printers will be much closer to mass-produced plastic products.
Where Can I Learn More? Several enthusiasts have created proof-of-concept 3-D printers that show the technology at work. Deadwood, South Dakota based BC9 Creator is aiming to be the MakerBot of Stereolithography.
When Can I Get One? Soon, if two big problems can be solved. First, the consumable is much harder to handle. It is a liquid and has to be specially formulated, where most existing 3-D printers just use spools of commodity plastic. Second, there is a chance that these designs will infringe on patents held by the large 3-D printing companies and not make it to market for many years.
How Much do they Cost? A kits are available for pre-order for $2,500-4,000. While it is twice the cost of MakerBot’s newest product, it is a fraction of the cost of professional-grade stereolithography equipment.
Mini CNC Mills
What Does It Do? Carves intricate designs out of blocks of plastic, wood, or other materials.
3-D printers can only produce objects made of one material, but Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) mills can shape multiple materials and are available in a variety of sizes from tiny units used to fabricate jewelry to garage-size models which can carve 4- by 8-foot sheets of plywood.
Where Can I Learn More? There are online communities and books where you can learn how to build or buy a CNC machines.
When Can I Get One? Today. Roland produces a toylike desktop mill called the iModela and ShopBot produces a range of industrial-grade models.
How Much do they Cost? Anywhere from $900 to $40,000 depending on size and power.
Food Printers
What are they? Machines that turn digital recipes into delectable morsels.
Where Can I Learn More? MIT scientists are working on machines that will take basic compounds and turn them into gourmet dishes. Engineers have been developing 3-D printers that build chocolate objects.
__When Can I Get One?__The first of these systems are just coming out of the oven. The Cricut Cake is a CNC machine that cuts patterns out of fondant to help unleash the pastry chef in everyone.
How Much do they Cost? Early products cost a few hundred dollars, but a full-scale food replicator will set you back at least as much as a Viking range.
Medical Printers
What are they? Printing plastic may be passe, but soon you will be able to print a new liver or kidneys. These tools could revolutionize medicine and give hope to the more than 113,782 people waiting for organ transfers today.
Where Can I Learn More? Basic research is being conducted on bioprinting at Columbia, Wake Forest, and initial studies were covered in the Lancet, but they aren’t ready for the market yet.
When Can I Get One? It’s going to take years, or even decades before you can 3-D print a new heart. In the meantime, the technology is revolutionizing a variety of other medical fields. Invisalign and 3M use 3-D scanning and printing to make braces and custom dental work. Amfit creates custom orthopedic inserts, and Organovo is creating human tissue, like skin, using bioprinters.
How Much do they Cost? If you think ink for your printer is expensive, hold on to your insurance card. Living tissue is going to cost tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars (or whatever we use for money in that bright future).
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