Is 3D Printing Dead?

“Problem with the whole 3d printing fad is that most people don’t know how to design or model parts and many think that a 3d printer is gonna magically spit out models for you. Unfortunately we are not there yet where huge number of car parts or machine parts are cataloged and all you have to do is load the file and press print. I design my own models 95% of the time and that is why my printer is always in use and I am just an amateur. Think of the real makers out there who design concept designs and what not. This John Brandon guy needs to visit Makerfair and stuff like that. Just because of home 3d printing, the software for 3d printing has developed much faster and better.”

“As a fellow 3D printing designer I agree totally with the statement about clients that come to us without having taken the time to really define their projects and then get upset with us because we don’t have a magic crystal ball to tell us what they want. It’s why I wrote up a Help Your Designer Help You article on my website. Be amazed at how many “patent pending” projects that have not been defined with simple dimensions. 3D printing can be amazing, but like all technologies it has its limits too and that’s where the hype collides with reality. ”

As recently as May 2015, 3-D printing was championed as a savior of all things. Last Friday, Newsweek magazine finally broke the ice. Maybe that should be: It shattered the ice, squished it into the ground, and sprayed it off the showroom floor with a hose. MakerBot recently whittled down its work force and the stock price of parent company Stratasys has plummeted. It’s like someone sucked all of the momentum out of the maker industry and pulled the plug, then bought a new plastic plug at Walmart.

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