Until now, 3D printers have been large, expensive machines confined to
the shops and design departments of major corporations and elite design
firms. With the introduction of the Desktop Factory 3D printer, priced
disruptively lower than the nearest competitive offering, Desktop Factory
becomes the leader in high performance low-cost 3D printing technologies.
As you know we recently went through a complete redesign of a major printer sub system. The part shown here was printed using that new
lens based imager. This is an actual rheostat casing that is part of a product under development by another Idealab company, eSolar. They were quite pleased
with our ability to print this part on-site, in just hours with a very high degree of accuracy.
Rapid Prototyping
Commonly referred to as "rapid prototyping," a 3D printer turns digital data from computer-aided design (CAD)
programs, 3D graphics and animation software, and scanners into sturdy physical models.
Benefits
The benefits of rapid prototyping are well known, but the size and expense of current offerings has limited their use.
With the Desktop Factory 3D printer, departments within large firms will be able to have their own dedicated 3D printers,
and many small businesses, design firms and schools will be able to own this capability for the first time. Professional
designers, engineers and students alike will be able to build inexpensive models from their designs before committing to
expensive, custom prototyping.
