Printtopeer - Cloud/Remote 3D Printing - Brilliant or Stupid?

I was just browsing the net for 3D Printing stuff, like I always do.

I came across this new site (at least I think it's new), of this company that is trying to create Remote 3D printing. It is basically 3D Printing in the cloud.

There is a demo of this platform at: http://demo.printtopeer.com

It basically allows you to upload your STL file, and totally control the 3D printing of it on a variety of different 3D printers, located at remote locations.

Do you guys think this is something that could take off, or is it just silly?

I'm honestly not sure what to think about it. It's a unique idea but not sure how useful it is.

Personally I think this might be something good, not as big as internet, but a good thing. They are sending files to disaster zones, and printing needed items, this might be a step up from that. Kind of a world wide web thingiverse crossbreed, at least eventually. Depends on how they actually administer it.

I also think this is great for company's/schools that have for example 2-3 printers,
so you can just upload it and let it be in the queque instead of waiting 3-4 hours till a certain job is done.

Also nice for at home, But not like its a huge plus to have imo, more for printers that are being used by more users.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrLuigi

I also think this is great for company's/schools that have for example 2-3 printers,
so you can just upload it and let it be in the queque instead of waiting 3-4 hours till a certain job is done.

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I didn't even think of this use. It's like networking for 3D Printing.

How about just general services online that will allow you to print in any material on any machine, and then simply charge a membership fee and shipping for your products to be shipped. Might not be a bad business model at all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BakerEvan

I didn't even think of this use. It's like networking for 3D Printing.

How about just general services online that will allow you to print in any material on any machine, and then simply charge a membership fee and shipping for your products to be shipped. Might not be a bad business model at all.

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There are already quiet a few company's doing this,

Like Shapeways or 3Dhubs.
But ye it is a nice idea to have a own website and sell products as hobby.

Thanks for posting, I'm one of the developers behind this. The demo is really basic right now, but you get the idea! You can check your print status when you're out of the room, share your printer with friends, coworkers, or classmates. The interface is meant to be easy enough that anyone can use it, but has the ability to power large farms of printers with complex configurations.

The recommended platform for our software is a Raspberry Pi, which can be attached to multiple printers. MakerBot, RepRap, Solidoodle, Ultimaker, are all supported. Slicing engines include Slic3r, Cura, and MakerBot, and we're going to provide those settings in the browser, accessible from any device.

I think the API is the best part. Developers can build apps (web, mobile, desktop) that send STL files to our service where they get sliced and can start printing right away. You no longer need to worry about what hardware is being used. This is going to be great for design software, marketplaces, games, and other applications. Don't forget to sign up for the beta, we need your feedback :)

Thank you for the great, additional information, and also thank you for NOT filling it full of self promotions and links. I know it can be VERY difficult to get the word out on something new, especially with so many new things coming out every day. Then something truly useful comes along, we want people to know about it, however, if you had filled it with a bunch of links, I WOULD have removed it.

THANK YOU ! tombielecki ! !