Over the past 2 Years Which Direction is the 3D Printing Space Moving?

[dunginhawk]

I'd say the industry is still workig towards a printer in every home. But until someone comes up with a hassle free, clean and idiot proof method of 3d printing it's unlikely to happen.

The prices of small desktop printers continues to fall while the unnecessary things they offer (wifi, cameras, social media interaction, internet of crap-uh, I mean things etc) continues to increase.

Basically it's going to take a new type of 3d printing. sla and sls are just too messy, fdm - while great is a long way from being idiot proof (as many threads on here demonstrate ;-).
What's needed is a system that can print without worrying about supports and yet does not require a seperate post processing machine and 3 hours of vacuming powder while trying to avoid breathing in dangerously small particles.
It's possible that the liquid resin 3d pens are more along the lines of what will eventually be the printer-in-the-home.
The resin can be set fast enough to do an unsupported 90 degree overhang, the system is clean, cold and with some dedicated resin development could be very versatile.

Commercially things are going amazingly, particularly for sla and fdm. More and more inductrial resins and filaments are hitting the market every week. Some of the precision printing results I've seen are nothing short of amazing.
You can now use 3d printers for good final use commercial products and a lot of companies are realising this.
There's an english company - no I can't remember the name) who are using daylight cured resins and large led panels to produce huge sla printers. Think the biggest they've made so far uses a 60inch led panel.

The industry is just going from strength to strength - regardless of what todd grim, ot our own in house pessimists, think.
Within 10 years there will be a 3d printer of one kind or another in just about every home.
All the components for a home machine currently exist, just needs a company to put all the bits together and do a few deals with some major manufacturers to handle there small part 'warehousing' and the printers will be practically be given away so that the concumer can pay for both the downloadable files to repair their broken gadgets and also pay for the material to do so. Turns what is currently a pita for manufacturers into a hassle free cash cow.

It's on the way.

While I agree with a lot of what you say I dont know that 10 or 20 years is even enough to have one in every home, because the problem is not the technology figuring it out (ease of use etc) its that 99% of households dont have anything worthwhile to make with a printer. I own printers (and ive owned a LOT of them) because im a tinkerer. its what i do. I largely make nothing of value (save a few items, and side jobs). Its always been thought that the average consumer can print a stove knob, or a door handle, or whatever. Problem is they wont. If you want it to look good, and function it needs to be printed, sanded (or SLA) finished with paint in whatever matte, gloss etc. OR I could buy a knob for $8.
Thats to say nothing of the fact that you would either have to design that knob yourself, OR hope someone else has, OR by then companies have decided profit isnt important and are just giving away source files for free (sarcasm).
I think 3d printing stays primarily in the commercial industrial space for quite some time. Not that the technology wont allow it, but because its impractical.

[djprinter]

While I agree with a lot of what you say I dont know that 10 or 20 years is even enough to have one in every home, because the problem is not the technology figuring it out (ease of use etc) its that 99% of households dont have anything worthwhile to make with a printer. I own printers (and ive owned a LOT of them) because im a tinkerer. its what i do. I largely make nothing of value (save a few items, and side jobs). Its always been thought that the average consumer can print a stove knob, or a door handle, or whatever. Problem is they wont. If you want it to look good, and function it needs to be printed, sanded (or SLA) finished with paint in whatever matte, gloss etc. OR I could buy a knob for $8.
Thats to say nothing of the fact that you would either have to design that knob yourself, OR hope someone else has, OR by then companies have decided profit isnt important and are just giving away source files for free (sarcasm).
I think 3d printing stays primarily in the commercial industrial space for quite some time. Not that the technology wont allow it, but because its impractical.

I agree with this, most people are not "makers." Unlike the desktop PC, a 3d printer doesn't, improve or replace anything that is essential to most peoples lives.

There is still a large "hobbyist" home market, but it's far from a majority. If you don't already own a router, a table saw, or other "making" equipment you're not likely to be interested in a 3d printer.