Hi guys,

right now now we are thinking about expanding our business with 3d printing - but we are at the very early stages and frankly don't know what we are getting ourselves into. I have read a lot on the Internet, but there are still lots of things I can't wrap my head around.

1. Materials. We are not sure what all to print, and right now just think about everything, from architectural models to action figures, toys, prototypes, logos, "heads" and so on. Those will probably need different types of materials (at least stuff for kids need to be safe and not toxic) - would you need different printers for those different things, or can printers use different kind of materials - and what exactly would we need for that?

2. How fast do they print? Can I print several different things at once? And how much does the material cost for one model?

3. What softwares would we need to learn? We have some experience with 3d modeling, is that enough, or do we need some specific software? How hard is that to learn? And are there some programs that help you create specific kind of things like humanoid figures or architectural objects?

4. 3D-Scanning. Of course it would be cool to scan a person and then print him - I have seen people use 64 cameras to digitalize a person. Is there a better or cheaper way?

5. It is extremely difficult to just check out what printers there are. Which ones would you suggest (for a professional business, not for home use. Money will of course play a role, but don't worry about money with your suggestions - anything under 100.000$ is fine to be in the conversation)

6. I have sen the zprinter 650 being suggested - that is a 6 year old machine. Are there any real interesting new printers coming out this year? Which printer would be similar to the zprinter from stratasys?

7. Overall, do you think there can be some real money being made with a 3d printing service, or will the whole technology be so much cheaper soon, that every company and every private person that want something out of a printer have one themselves in a couple of years?

thanks for your help guys. Like I said, we are at the very beginning here and might just shelve he idea. And of course we will do a lot more research before making any kind of decision, but I would really like to clear some of my question marks first...

Mike