For someone who writes about technology, I have surprisingly few “wow, this is the future” moments when encountering a new gadget or gizmo.
Using a hand-held cellphone to cover a breaking news story in 1994 was one of them. Driving an electric car for the first time was another.
In the past week I experienced another such moment when I got to see some 3D printers in action.
Yes, I’m well aware that this technology has been around for a while and I’ve encountered 3D printers several times over the past few years. But they’ve always felt more like prototypes better suited to tinkerers than finished products suitable for mainstream adoption.
This time was different. For me the aha moment was as much about the context as the gadgets themselves – three 3D printers and a scanner, all made by MakerBot.
The New York-based company, a pioneer in the the 3D printing field, is represented in South Africa by distributors Rectron, which hosted an event at the Oyster Box Hotel in uMhlanga to show off its wares to local tech industry role players.
In a masterstroke of ironic juxtaposition, the printers were lined up on a table against a backdrop of historic Union Castle shipping line posters. As I noticed this, it hit me just how revolutionary this technology is.
A hundred years ago, a spare part or prototype made overseas would take weeks to reach you by ship – possibly months with design and manufacturing. Today, thanks to 3D printing, you can have it in your hands in less than an hour. Admittedly the current crop of 3D printers available to the general public is expensive and limited in the materials they can use.
Prices start at around R20 000 for a small entry-level unit aimed at children and go up to R50 000 and beyond for a printer the size of a big microwave oven with bells and whistles like a built-in camera and remote monitoring via the internet and a smartphone app. For now, the only materials they can print with are different types of plastic.
But prices will come down as these printers become more mainstream, as anyone who remembers the cost of early fax machines and inkjet printers will tell you – although one hopes the cost of consumables won’t follow the outrageous printer ink pricing model.
Industrial grade 3D printers costing hundreds of thousands, even millions, of rands are able to print metallic objects, with growing interest in this field from the aerospace and automotive industry. Researchers are experimenting with printing food and even biological matter, raising the tantalising prospect of 3D printed pizzas and transplant organs – hopefully not from the same machine.
For Natalee Robertson, the MakerBot product manager at Rectron, the future is an exciting place thanks to 3D printing technology.
“Imagine a world where you don’t have to buy replacement parts for your car or home appliance – you can just print your own. Picture having the most creative and innovative idea of your life and having the tools and technology at your fingertips to be able to bring it to life. This is the reality of 3D printing,” she said.
Robertson admits that the prices remain a stumbling block to widespread consumer adoption, despite the printers now being available from retailers like Makro and Dion Wired and online from Takealot.com.
“Even the entry-level models are not cheap. But parents with the means to afford them are buying them for their kids. So are forward-looking schools who see the competitive advantage of offering exposure to a technology and skill set that will be hugely important.”
She said there was also growing interest from entrepreneurs looking to set up small-scale “boutique” manufacturing shops.
“3D printing is ideal for niche products for which there is a definite demand, but not enough of one to warrant the cost of a conventional factory. Spare parts for out-of-production cars is a good example.”
While the cost of printers remains fairly daunting, other barriers to entry are falling away. Designing an item from scratch still requires a 3D enthusiast to master complicated computer-aided design (CAD) software. But copying items has never been easier thanks to 3D scanners and a growing number of websites offering completed 3D designs uploaded by more accomplished users.
Local MakerBot owners will also soon have access to materials that will allow them to print more realistic final products, thanks to the introduction of printing composites that include real metal, stone and wood.
For example, objects printed using metal additives to the polymer filament can be magnetised and are heavier than those printed using the regular plastic-only filaments.
While these weren’t on show in Durban this week, I’ve seen video footage of MakerBot showing off a 3D-printed hammer using these new composites. It looks like a real hammer and, if the marketing spiel is to be believed, feels a lot like one and can even be used for light hammering jobs.
If even an entry-level printer is beyond your means (join the club), I’d still recommend checking out the 3D printer section next time you’re passing one of the big electronics stores.
If nothing else, you’ll one day be able to bore your grandchildren over the comm-link to Mars with how you remember when all you could print were bad plastic copies of things – just before you press “send” on the 3D fax machine and beam them your signature milk tart.
Follow Alan Cooper on Twitter @alanqcooper.