Image courtesy of zole4 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With two children, I (Tom) often think, “What should they study for career success?” If either one expressed an interest in making a mark in the 3D printing industry, I probably would recommend studying one or more of the following.

1. Design

With every product, first comes the design. Becoming proficient in design techniques and the use of design tools such as CAD software will provide the opportunity to bring marketable skills to the 3D printing industry. Continue reading →

Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some may be surprised to learn that a few 3D printing-focused companies are publically traded billion dollar entities.  Companies such as 3D Systems Corporation (www.3dsystems.com) (NYSE: DDD), Stratasys  Ltd. (www.stratasys.com) (NASDAQ:  SSYS), ExOne Co. (www.exone.com) (NASDAQ: XONE), and Proto Labs, Inc. (www.protlabs.com)(NYSE: PRLB) generate a significant portion of their revenue from 3D printing and all but Proto Labs has a market cap north of $1 billion. Continue reading →

Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You can now go to school in 3D printing!  New York University now offers a courses in 3D printing.  Courses cover everything from CAD software to making prototyping.  It is great to see this skill set being formalized and not just a hobby.  I mentor a great group of Georgia Tech students and they always are playing with 3D printers, but it always struck me as more of an extracurricular than a class.  A new generation of engineers fully trained in 3D could really rock the workforce!

“Dave” who helps explain Cuboyo on http://www.cuboyo.com (used with permission)

So you just dropped the equivalent of a used car on a 3D printer and now you’re wondering what to do with it?  A new service, Cuboyo, can help!

I stumbled upon Cuboyo and loved their approach to the whole buy/sell 3D file space.  We’ve already written about what would initially sound like a similar service, CGTrader,  but, Cuboyo is a pure 3D printer file  play as opposed to 3D models for things like games or computer animation you’d find at CGTrader.  Cuboyo is a place where you can buy 3D files for your printer or sell designs you’ve created.  There’s everything from iPhone cases to chess sets to a baseball batting helmet! Continue reading →

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There’s a whole new group of 3D related apps from buying to drawing to printing to scanning and modifying.  First, there’s ebay Exact.  Yep, it’s that eBay.  This app lets you customize several base objects and have them printed.  Then there’s Cubify, where you can draw an oject on your screen with your finger and convert it to 3D. Continue reading →

Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you’ve had braces like me you may remember the dentist filling large metal trays with a pink goo which you then had to hold in your mouth to make molds of your teeth.  Those days may be gone and our kids thankfully may never have that memory thanks to new 3D laser scanning technology.  Checkout the great Stratasys YouTube video about 3D scanning and orthodontics.

Now the benefits aren’t just limited to kids with braces, but adults needing dentures also benefit. Continue reading →

Used with permission. See original image and article at http://fundersandfounders.com/how-funding-works-splitting-equity

The 3D space is filled with entrepreneurs.  As you start a company money is often a chief concern, either for start-up or expansion.  Loans are one option, so are family, but another option is selling equity (part ownership) in your company. Continue reading →

I was reading a great article in Popular Science about the latest in skyscrapers (http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2013-02/rise-supertalls). In the article it discussed how 3D printing has revolutionized their design. Continue reading →