Earlier this month, Pocket-Lint's Stuart Miles reported on a British company that produces personalized super hero action figures. Customers send in photos of themselves that the company then renders using 3D computer-aided design (CAD) technology. Technicians at the company then use 3D printing to create a model of the customer's head, which can then be grafted onto the body of his or her favorite super hero action figure.
Now, Bloomberg Businessweek's Venessa Wong reports that an American company is also using 3D printing to create action figures, albeit with a very different business model.
Wong reports that Herobuilders.com, a company based in Oxford, Connecticut, uses 3D printing to create action figure models of short-term celebrities. Past models include former U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, cast members from the television show "Jersey Shore" and socialite Michaele Salahi.
Most recently, the company created a doll designed to resemble Patricia Krentcil, the so-called "tanning mom" who recently entered the news cycle after being accused of taking her six-year-old daughter to a tanning salon, which resulted in burns on the child. The doll, called a "Tanorexic Action Figure," sells on the company's website for $29.95.
The company is able to turn a profit from novelty figures of short-lived celebrities due to the rapid production offered by 3D printing. Whereas conventional doll creation requires manufacturers to develop an injection mold and then use plastic injection, which is slow and cost effective only on a large scale, 3D printing has virtually no incremental cost and requires no molds. This means the company can design and print dolls very quickly and to order, allowing the company to capitalize on brief news trends.
Wong reports that, in addition to pre-designed celebrities, the company also offers customized 3D printed creations, made to resemble any individual. These cost $375 for the first doll and $39.95 for subsequent copies.
As this company proves, anyone can take advantage of the customization of 3D printing. Some Objet 3D printers, for example, are small enough to fit on a user's desk{,} and can print a wide range of prototypes or life models.
Recent years have seen tremendous developments in the field of additive manufacturing. Once limited to major industrial projects, advances in 3D printing have significantly increased the accessibility and applicability of the technology. Now, virtually anyone can acquire and use 3D printing to create a range of items.
TJ McCue, writing for Forbes, recently noted that these developments may mean that additive manufacturing can provide a major boost for startups and entrepreneurs.
Typically, startup companies experience serious financial difficulties in their early years. It is extremely costly to start a business, and usually requires the owner or owners to borrow large sums of money. As a result, startups struggle to find sufficient operating capital in their first few years.
That is why additive manufacturing can be such a boon for startups and struggling businesses. Additive manufacturing technology, such as Objet 3D printers, can be acquired for as little as several thousand dollars, and yet are capable of producing a huge range of products. In recent months, reports have surfaced detailing 3D printers used to create furniture, chocolates, customized action figures and much more.
3D printers can also be used for rapid prototyping. Traditionally, creating a prototype of a part was a time-consuming process. The company would have to develop a mold before producing the object, followed by machining and other finishing stages, all of which could take weeks. If a flaw was discovered, the process would need to begin again.
Rapid prototyping allows companies to develop prototypes significantly faster. No molds are needed - rather, the creator uses 3D computer-aided design (CAD) software to design the item. "If you have an existing company, it doesn’t take much to add a rapid prototyping machine into the mix," McCue wrote.
For many years now, 3D printing has helped manufacturers and designers develop parts and machines for the industrial sector. In recent times, however, the technology has become significantly more scalable, affordable and easy to use. Consequently, the applications for 3D printing have expanded greatly. By using Objet 3D printers and other related technology, companies in a wide-range of sectors, including chemistry, consumer goods and medicine, can improve their prototyping and production capabilities.
Now, the applicability and availability of 3D printing is on the verge of expanding even further, according to Opinno's Cal Pierce.
3D printing and small outfits
According to Pierce, the advent of personal 3D printer technology allows amateurs and small outfits to design and produce innovative creations.
This trend can best be seen in the rise of open source-based 3D printing communities, Pierce reports. One website, thingverse.com, operates as a forum and archive for blueprints for 3D models. Users can develop and share their own designs, comment on each others and overall improve the available pool of 3D printing models. The success of this website and other communities significantly enhances the potential value of personal 3D printers, which will likely contribute to their continued rise to prominence.
3D printing, self-replication and printed circuits
Further emphasizing the role of community and small outfits in 3D printing is the group RepRap.org. This group's purpose is to create a self-replicating manufacturing machine. To achieve that end, the group welcomes anyone to contribute to its website, offering insight and recommendations.
As a part of this effort, the group has experimented with, and achieved some success, printing circuit boards. This and other efforts demonstrate the increasing availability of 3D printing and related technology.
By using 3D printing, a U.K. company can now offer customers the chance to see themselves as their favorite superheroes.
The company, Firebox, is a retailer specializing in novelty toys and gadgets. According to Pocket-Lint, the firm can create action figures of Batman, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Batgirl or Superman, with one key twist: a customer can replace his chosen superhero's face with his own.
Becoming a super hero
To create these personalized action figures, Firebox asks customers to send in two photos of themselves, one in profile, one direct. The company then uses 3D imaging software to create a 3D model of the customer, including facial shape, eye color, skin tone and hair style. The head is then produced using 3D printers.
Lastly, the head is shipped to the customer, along with a traditional action figure. According to Pocket-Lint, it is a simple process to remove the pre-existing head and replace it with one's own.
The customized action figures retail for £80.
3D printing and customized toys
3D printing is the key to Firebox's personalized action figures. Traditionally, toys such as these are created using large-scale injection mold technology. While cheap in large quantities, this process is cost prohibitive when it comes to small batches or individual items.
3D printing, however, is extremely scalable. Rather than creating an entirely new mold, every new model simply requires an adjustment of the 3D design programming.
While Firebox may be the first company offering personalized superhero action figures, 3D printed toys are not new. Designworks Windsor, for example, has used Objet 3D printers to create accurate, detailed models of classic science-fiction figures, such as the Cybermen from the television program, "Dr. Who."
At the most basic level, 3D printing technology offers two primary advantages: reduced costs and a greater degree of customization. There are many other benefits, but none as pronounced or significant as these two.
These aspects of 3D printing were recently highlighted by Ashlee Vance of Bloomberg Businessweek, who profiled Scott Summit and his custom prosthetic creations.
3D printed prosthetic limbs: a cheaper solution
By using 3D computer-aided design software and 3D printing, Summit is able to create inexpensive, customized prosthetic legs, feet and shins. The limbs, made of sturdy yet flexible plastic, cost significantly less than traditional prosthetics - about $6,500, whereas conventional models can cost as much as $75,000.
Despite the lower price tag, Vance notes that the 3D printed limbs include all of the features of traditionally-crafted models, such as flexible ankle joints.
Personalized creations
Perhaps even more significant than the 3D printed limbs affordability is their degree of personalization. Because the limbs are created individually with 3D imaging software and a 3D printer, rather than on a large-scale with injection molding or vacuum forming, the prosthesis can be customized more easily than conventional models. For example, Summit notes that he recently worked on a leg designed to incorporate the aesthetics of a Porsche 911, as per the client's request.
3D printing and medicine
In recent years, 3D printers have been increasingly used for medical-related purposes, due largely to the precision, speed and customization the devices offer. Orchid Design, for example, recently began using SolidWorks CAD software and Objet 3D printers to rapidly prototype orthopedic devices. By speeding up the prototyping process by approximately 2,000 percent, Orchid Design is able to experiment with a greater range of devices, improving the overall quality of the items produced.
Around the world, scientists, engineers and designers are constantly developing new applications for 3D printing. By using computer-aided design programs, such as SolidWorks CAD software, professionals and amateurs alike have used 3D printing to produce everything from chocolate treats to furniture to pharmaceutical drugs.
This breadth and scope of development recently led Bloomberg Businessweek's Ashlee Vance to declare that 3D printer has the power to "make whatever you want."
Designing at home
To emphasize the degree to which 3D printing has reached the mainstream, Vance highlights the example of the Lewis family in Santa Clara, California. David and Riley, father and son, built a hobbyist 3D printing kit in their garage which Riley and his friends, all of whom are in the eighth grade, use to create a wide assortment of items. Among the objects the adolescents created via 3D printing are rockets, cutlery and guitar picks.
According to Vance, 3D printing has become so ingrained in these children's lives that they see nothing unusual or revolutionary in the notion that a computer design can be turned into a physical process within their home.
Industrial and non-industrial uses
Vance also notes that companies are beginning to sell a wider variety of 3D printed products. Whereas the technology has been used for decades in the industrial sector, creating parts in such fields as automotives and aeronautics, only in recent years have its uses expanded to consumer goods.
Now, according to Vance, companies are printing and selling objects such as jewelry, iPhone covers, model trains and even bikinis.
This is largely due to decreasing prices and sizes of 3D printers. While large industrial printers can cost as much as $1 million, others, such as Objet 3D printers, can be purchased for under $20,000, and can be small enough to fit comfortably on a standard wooden desk.
Several weeks ago, scientists from Glasgow University announced they had developed a means of "printing" pharmaceutical drugs. By using commercially available technology, such as Objet 3D printers, they were able to create "reactionware," capable of producing medication. According to the BBC, Lee Cronin, the project leader, said that the most important potential benefit of this development is the possibility of extending healthcare access to the developing world.
Recently, New Scientist pointed out another potential benefit of this or similar technology: the possibility of individuals creating and selling "apps" for at-home 3D chemical printing.
Direct to customer chemicals
According to New Scientist, as 3D printing becomes more common and researchers fine-tune the methods Cronin and others are pioneering, the chemical industry may undergo an "internet-fuelled disruption" similar to that experienced by the music and publishing industries. Individual designers may be able to create programs for the production of chemical products, then sell or give away these apps online. Users will be able to purchase the apps and, using their 3D printers, produce whatever chemical they desire.
This process would largely eliminate the chemical industry from the equation, just as ebooks and mp3s avoid publishing houses and record labels. Costs may drop and innovation may flourish as a result, New Scientist claims.
Safety and legal concerns
However, such a revolution would inevitably bring serious safety and legal concerns. Most notably, creators may offer apps for producing untested, unsafe chemical compounds, as well as illegal drugs. Consequently, the rise of at-home chemical printing may also cause a revolution among enforcement groups, as the FDA and other agencies work to protect consumers as well as chemical companies' intellectual property.
In the world of technology, early adoption is key. A company that allows itself to lag behind the latest developments will struggle to compete in difficult markets.
That is why InfoWorld's Bob Lewis recently declared that 3D printing is "a litmus test for IT leadership." According to Lewis, 3D printing represents a significant shift in manufacturing and production, and a company's willingness to pursue this new technology may determine the future success or failure of that organization.
The crux, according to Lewis, is a change in focus from "quality" to "excellence." Quality, in Lewis' sense of the word, refers to mass production of low-cost, identical items with a low defect rate. This type of manufacturing has been the standard for many years. However, Lewis argued that the near future will be defined by industries' ability to produce customized products with a wide range of features.
This is where 3D printing comes in. With 3D printing, a business or individual can use computer aided design software to modify the architecture of an item, then print out the customized object. Objet 3D printers, for example, can produce customized hearing aids.
Consequently, Lewis believes that 3D printing and additive manufacturing will play crucial roles in the movement toward "excellence" in production. Businesses and individuals will simply have to purchase a design, much like an app, and can then produce or modify as they see fit.
The Economist seems to agree with Lewis. It has recently devoted a significant amount of attention to 3D printing and additive manufacturing, arguing that the techniques will lead to major changes in production methods. According to The Economist, not only will it provide for greater customization of products - it will also improve overall quality. For example, using 3D printing can produce rounded channels within solid metal structures, something that is difficult to achieve by traditional means. Rounded channels can often improve performance for devices such as gearboxes, potentially making the 3D printed version of a gearbox superior to older forms.
According to The Economist, a revolution is currently occurring in the world of manufacturing, and additive manufacturing is playing a major role in the transformation.
Additive manufacturing, The Economist noted, is becoming cheaper and more effective. To a large extent, this is due to the technique's relative autonomy. Additive manufacturing can produce items with minimal supervision, which saves organizations money by reducing the need for human labor.
Ss the technology continues to evolve, the complexity of the items produced will almost certainly increase. Currently, 3D printing is capable of producing finished items for a range of industries. For example, Objet 3D printers have been used to create nearly finished parts for TREK Bicycles that required only minimal touch-up for completion. In the near future, however, it is likely that additive manufacturing will be able to produce totally finished products, as well as items consisting of multiple parts.
Additionally, The Economist noted that the anticipated rise of at-home 3D printing will create opportunities for entrepreneurs and inventors that would not otherwise be possible. Independent, small-scale researchers will quite possibly develop new applications for 3D printing and additive manufacturing that have not yet been conceived of, furthering the concept of a manufacturing revolution.
Many people believe that 3D printing is primarily useful as a means of creating prototypes. That is why the technology was originally created, and for many years, this has been its primary use.
By incorporating 3D printing into their design processes, organizations can significantly improve their ability to create new products. The bicycle manufacturer Trek, for example, has been able to significantly quicken their design cycles by taking advantage of Objet 3D printers. Mike Zeigle, Manager of Trek's Prototype Development group, said that using Objet Connex allowed the company to create high-quality parts in hours, rather than days, as was the case with older forms of prototyping.
However, 3D printing's use goes well beyond prototyping. As the Economist recently pointed out, by using 3D printing and additive manufacturing technology, industries can produce final products that are of higher quality than more traditional means allow. In fact, additive manufacturing even allows organizations to extend what they are capable of creating.
As an example of the possibilities of additive manufacturing, The Economist notes that the technology makes possible the creation of rounded channels within solid metal structures. This is difficult to achieve through traditional methods, so many gearboxes and other items have had to settle for right-angle bends. However, by using 3D printing, one company is now able to offer gearboxes with smooth internal pathways, allowing for faster gear changes. Additionally, these gearboxes are 30 percent lighter than older models.
Additive manufacturing can also save money by reducing material expenditure. The Economist points out that metal parts for the aerospace industry are often created from a solid billet of titanium, resulting in a loss of as much as 90 percent of the material as it is cut away. By using 3D printing, parts may lose as little as 10 percent of raw material without sacrificing quality.