3D Printers - Still cool?

Do you believe that 3D printers are still cool? We already heard so much about it, and many of us have even witnessed 3D printing in real life, so we might conclude that 3D printers used to be a great innovation, but now, they are just another thing we use.

My friends already wrote about different applications of 3D printers, how cool they are: saving life by creating human organs, and even saving the day by printing toilet paper (sounds weird? You have to read our previous blogs). Even Kanye West is afraid that 3D printers will ruin the textile market the same way the Internet ruined the music industry.

So again, is it 3D printing still thrilling?

Well I say, DEFINITELY YES. Let me try and explain why by comparing the current 3D printers to the development of mobile phones. The early mobile phones were big and clumsy, crazy expensive (only a few businessmen with cigars stuck in their mouths could afford them), and perceived as highly innovative. Then, a few years passed and suddenly phones became smaller, prices went down, and they became an integral part of our lives.

Some may say that at this point, mobile phones were just another thing we buy. I, on the other hand, claim at this point people started asking themselves what else can we do with this thing that every 10-year-old has in their back pocket? This question led to a massive wave of innovations such as early games (snake J) and apps (remember ringtone editors?). These days we have smartphones with an endless stream of applications. Can you imagine your life today without a smartphone?

So now let’s go back to 3D printers. In my view, 3D printers today are like the early generations of mobile phones. The printers are slow, expensive, big, and we don’t really know what to do with them. BUT now is the time when we should ask ourselves: “what else can we do with this thing?” and that is why 3D-printers are going to be way cooler.

By: Nir Charny