3D printing is a mind-blowing process, but you might be surprised to learn that it's not a new technology. It was developed in the late '80s and has been used extensively for prototyping. What's new is that the technology is no longer reserved for big companies — in recent years, it has finally made the jump to the mainstream consumer market.

In 2007, some higher-ups at Philips Electronics had a hunch that people would be interested in being more involved in the products they buy. They decided that 3D printing could help them deliver that functionality. A few people in Philips' in-house incubator approached a fellow employee, Peter Weijmarshausen, and asked whether he thought it was a viable business idea. "I was really intrigued. I thought, 'How could this work? If we could really give the power of making whatever you want to everybody, that’s a game-shifter,” he recalls.

Weijmarshausen created a business plan for the first round of seed funding, built a prototype that was ready by February 2008, and launched Shapeways.com in July 2008. At launch, the machines only printed in plastic, but as the market grows and the technology matures, Shapeways is able to offer more materials and more affordable prices. Shapeways certainly isn't the only player in the 3D printing spaces — there are dozens of companies in business around the world — but Shapeways is unique in that it's a marketplace that is naturally more consumer-facing than its counterparts. With a more mainstream audience, Shapeways is tasked with making 3D printing approachable, understandable and affordable to everyday consumers. The company is backed by Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures, and has produced more than one million 3D-printed items since its inception.

Mashable spoke with Peter Weijmarshausen, Shapeways' CEO, about how 3D printing works, the strides its made, the benefits and the future of the manufacturing process. You'll also see a gallery of diverse items that have been printed by Shapeways, and if you want to see more, you can check out the 3D-printed memes we told you about a few weeks ago.

How It Works

You might be confused about the term "printing." The analogy was used in the beginning to explain the overall idea and stuck as the term for the technology, explains Weijmarshausen. "It’s a machine like a printer, where you put a file into the machine with text, and after a while, the printed paper comes out of it. It’s the same with a 3D printer," he says, acknowledging that it's not necessarily the most accurate name for the process. And just like there are various types of printers — inkjet, laserjet, matrix, turbo, etc. — there are various methods of 3D printing and a handful of materials that can be used. Some printers use lasers and dust, others use glue and dust and some even melt down plastic. Though Shapeways started with plastic, its items can now be printed in ceramic, glass, stainless steel and precious metals.

Say you're printing a plastic trinket — the item is built layer by layer, as powder is laid down within the building chamber. Lasers then cut through the material to whittle it down and create the desired shape. The powder layers are then adhered together to create a solid within the chamber. The unused powder is collected and recycled for the next printing, making it more sustainable than some other manufacturing methods, in which you'd just have to scrap the carved out materials. If you're printing in steel, there's a metal powder with a metal binder (a glue) that's laid down in the same way before going into an oven and getting infused with a bronze for durability. The time it takes to print something depends on its size — something the size of a small nightstand could take a whole day, while smaller trinkets (like the cube of cubes in the gallery below) would take an hour or two in one of Shapeways' 10 printers. Here's a video, because it's difficult to explain the process in words (though, if you prefer words, you can read a detailed explanation of each of the 3D-printing processes here):

Using Shapeways, there are two ways you could get a 3D-printed item. If you're a 3D designer, you can upload your own product designs (the web portal supports all 3D software, including Google Sketchup, 123D and Blender). The software then analyzes the file and tells you which materials it can be printed in and what the cost would be.

Early on, when designers started receiving their Shapeways items and showing off to their friends, they asked Shapeways if they could sell their items through Shapeways for a profit. This was an idea that had already struck Weijmarshausen, and so the Shapeways Shops were born. With a shop, designers can sell their products, and in Etsy-like fashion, Shapeways handles customer support, payment, production and shipping — sellers determine the price, and Shapeways receives the cost of printing. So, if you're not a 3D designer — and most people aren't — you can still benefit from 3D printing by buying from a shop owner. The shops now have 5,000 sellers, a few of whom have quit their jobs to be full-time Shapeways Shop owners. If you're not seeing exactly what you want — which is, after all, the point of 3D printing — you can work with one of these owner/designers to tweak an existing product and make it your own.

What Can Be Printed?Shapeways 3D Printing

1. Klein Bottle

Before 3D printing, this would have been an impossible shape to cast or weld.

2. Strandbeests

This "walking machine" is a marvel -- it's an "art and design creature" from a Dutch designer, Theo Jansen. The Strandbeests come out of the machine in one piece, and are able to "walk" on their own. You can install a motor or a little propeller, and if the wind strikes it, it'll start moving.

Weijmarshausen says he was walking down the street one day and holding it because he didn't want to smash it in his bag, and the wind made it move in his hands, prompting looks of confusion and disbelief from passersby.

3. Light Poems

The Light Poem is a unique item in the Shapeways Shop -- you can supply your own text -- a favorite quote, a line from a poem, a wedding vow -- and it can be printed to become an uber-personalized candle-holder.

4. Fable Clock

"If you give this to everybody using the Internet, people are very smart, people inspire other," says Weijmarshausen.

The fable clock shown here is a functioning clock that rotates and works with batteries. This is another item that came out in one piece.

5. Glasses

These glasses are printed in five parts: three pieces of nylon and two hinges.

6. Bikini

This bikini is printed in nylon, the same material as the glasses, but it isn't tumbled, so it behaves as more of a mesh material.

7. Necklace

A great application for 3D printing is jewelry -- you can create something completely unique and personal.

8. Sterling Silver Bracelet

...even in sterling silver.

9. Ceiling Lamp

The "white, strong and flexible" material can print a variety of things, like this modern ceiling lamp.

10. Cube of Cubes

This cube -- comprised of 3x3x3 interlocking cubes -- was printed in one piece, using lasers to cut out the powder that wasn't "needed" in order to create the shape.

11. Ceramic Cup and Saucer

It's possible to print in ceramic...

12. Multi-colored Ceramic

...and in color.

13. Eiffel Tower

It's possible to print just about any kind of trinket.

14. iPad Case

This case snaps right onto the back of an iPad -- it's super lightweight.

15. Nyan Cat

Designers upload a lot of memes to be 3D-printed.

16. 3D software

Designs can be uploaded from any 3D software program.

In short, just about anything can be 3D-printed — check out the gallery above to see glasses, bikinis and jewelry. The technology enables previously impossible shapes, like the Klein bottle above, to exist. "Product designers in their schooling are trained to think about the limitations of production — it doesn’t make sense to design a product that can never be produced, so we haven’t seen much [innovation yet]," says Weijmarshausen.

"People will define themselves what they’ll use it for – it’s all possible."

Because you can print numerous items in the same machine to optimize output and efficiency, the prices can come down to be quite appealing. "A bracelet can be $100, a silver ring can be $40, and given that it’s made especially for you, I don’t think that’s a bad proposition," says Weijmarshausen. "Wouldn’t it be cool if you could give someone you care about something you customized and personalized for that person? That’s where 3D printing comes in."

And 3D printing has commercial applications, too. Boeing and Airbus have already 3D-printed certain pieces of their aircraft. One designer has printed part of a satellite that's been launched into space. And 3D-printing has proven useful in medicine, where it's been used to print jawbones, prosthetics and replacement hips. In fact, Weijmarshausen says that a 3D-printed ball joint and the mesh pin that goes into the bone enables the bone to grow into the mesh, facilitating a very strong connection. Some printers can print in concrete, meaning that some time down the line, we'll be able to print buildings. A major development is the printing of crude forms of semiconductors, so Weijmarshausen says he "doesn't think it will take much more than five years before we can see the first 3D-printed circuitry," at which point you could print something like an mp3 player. And a cool benefit is that the made-to-order process accelerates product development — you make something, you sell it, you get feedback, and you improve for the next print-out. There's no "inventory," so changes and improvements can be implemented faster to get a product exactly right as fast as possible.

"You can see how powerful this new technology is … it has delivered crazy, exciting things, things that I’ve never dreamt possible," says Weijmarshausen.

To Print or Not To Print?

While many things can be 3D-printed, there are some limitations. One limitation is size — the printers are about the size of a large filing cabinet, so at the moment, you can't print anything bigger than a mini-fridge. Another limitation is the materials, though the technology is advancing to enable more base materials and also to enable multi-material printing.

Of course, with today's 3D printing technology and what's coming down the pipeline, it's important to note that just because something can be 3D-printed doesn't mean it should be. After all, mass-manufacturing came about during the Industrial Revolution and made it possible for people to have the same everyday items, like shirts and shoes. As technology advanced, we got televisions, iPods and iPhones. So while a new DVD player could be 3D-printed, it doesn't make sense — from a cost standpoint — to print it, when it's readily available for the masses at a big box store at a lower price.

The Challenges of 3D Printing

Before you read this post, did you know what 3D printing was and have an understanding of how it works? Probably not, and that's precisely what Shapeways and its 3D-printing comrades are grappling with — trying to explain the science of the layperson. "How do you explain to people that this could be relevant to them?" implores Weijmarshausen. "It doesn’t need to be [relevant], but for lots of people, it is. It’s a challenge because it’s so new."

Being consumer-facing, though, Shapeways has focused on making 3D printing "easy, fun and affordable" — as a front-end user, you need not understand the technology in order to appreciate the designs or even to create your own vase or cufflinks. "If we start talking about all the tech and the limitations, then it's cool for a core group of hardcore product designers, but for laypeople, it's sometimes confusing. Do you really want to know how your paper printer works, or do you just want it to print your papers?"

“We want to make it easy, fun and affordable."

In making 3D printing accessible and affordable, the industry has already made great strides. We mentioned before that it's been used for prototyping for decades. Back in 2007, Weijmarshausen was at a 3D printing convention, and an SVP of Chrysler was holding a piece of 3D-printed plastic in the shape of rear-view mirror. "He couldn’t believe you could make that for $5,000 — it was peanuts to him, even though it's not peanuts to us," he says. And the price of printing that mirror model would be a fraction of that now. "The Internet is a big democratizer — if you can tell me what you want, the machines we have can make them for you," says Weijmarshausen.

The Future of 3D Printing

What's in store for 3D printing? Weijmarshausen is adamant that it's not a need-based business, but a want-based one — you don't need a 3D-printed bikini, but some people like the idea of cocreation and partaking in the design of the things they own. The items have stories behind them and become conversation starters. So for Shapeways, the mission is to spread that gospel. "We keep growing our proposition to make it easier and more accessible for people," Weijmarshausen explains.

The Shapeways API can be integrated into myriad platforms to print Minecraft and other items. Should it be integrated with Foursquare, you'd be able to print a Foursquare badge. The API will enable the consumer to transform any digital property into a real-life entity, which has exciting implications for future print-outs.

As for the industry as a whole, it's very much a wild west. "We just got started, we don’t really know what we can do — it's like the early Internet years, when we couldn't imagine web browsing or Facebook or Twitter or Skype," says Weijmarshausen. "We'll get more exciting materials, we’ll get a mix-up of materials. We can already print semiconductors, and one printer prototype I know can already print batteries — if you have batteries and semiconductors, you have devices."

Though there are current limitations, a burgeoning 3D-printing industry can let imaginations run wild in the years to come.

"A lot of things — even things we don’t know and that aren’t yet possible — will be 3D printed."

有关3D打印技术想问却不敢问的知识

3D打印是一个令人兴奋的过程，但你可能会惊讶地得知，这不是一项新技术。它开发于上世纪80年代，并已被广泛用于原型设计。有什么新的是，该技术对于大公司不再保留 - 在最近几年，它终于做出跳转到主流消费市场。
在2007年，一些上级在飞利浦电子预感到人们会感兴趣的是更多地参与到他们购买的产品。他们决定，3D打印能帮助他们实现这个功能。有几个人在飞利浦内部孵化走近一个老乡的员工，彼得Weijmarshausen，并问他是否认为这是一个可行的商业理念。 “我真的很好奇，我想，'怎么会这样的工作？如果我们真的可以给让你想每个人都不管，这是一个游戏，移位的力量，”他回忆说。

Weijmarshausen创造了第一轮的种子资金的商业计划，建立了一个原型，准备2008年2月，并推出Shapeways.com在2008年7月发射时，机器只印在塑料，但随着市场的发展和技术成熟，Shapeways是能够提供更多的材料和更实惠的价格。 Shapeways当然不是在3D打印空间的唯一的球员 - 有数十家公司业务遍布全球 - 但Shapeways是独一无二的，它是一种市场的自然是更多的面向消费者的比其同行。随着更多的主流观众，Shapeways的任务是制作3D打印平易近人，可以理解的，负担得起的普通消费者。该公司是由联合广场风险投资公司和风险投资指数的支持，并产生了自成立以来超过一百万的3D打印项目。

混搭与彼得Weijmarshausen，Shapeways公司的CEO，谈到如何三维打印技术的工作原理，它取得了长足的进步，带来的好处和制造工艺的未来。您还会看到已经打印过Shapeways不同项目的画廊，如果你想看到更多的，你可以看看我们告诉你几个星期前，3D打印模因。

怎么运行的

你可能会感到困惑的术语“打印”。这个比喻用在一开始解释的总体思路，并坚持作为长期的技术，解释Weijmarshausen。 “这是一台机器就像一台打印机，你把一个文件到本机文本，并在一段时间后，打印纸出来了吧。这是同一个3D打印机，”他说，承认它并不一定是最准确的名称的过程。就如同有各种各样的类型的打印机 - 喷墨，激光喷墨，矩阵，涡轮增压，等等 - 有3D打印等极少数材料可以使用各种方法。有些打印机使用激光和灰尘，别人用胶水和灰尘，有的甚至融化的塑料。虽然Shapeways开始使用塑料，它的项目现在可以印刷在陶瓷，玻璃，不锈钢和贵重金属。

假设你打印一个塑料饰品 - 该项目建成一层一层的，因为粉末建筑物室内的规定。激光器然后通过材料切割以削减下来，并创建所需的形状。该粉末层被粘附在一起，以在腔室中建立一个固体。未使用的粉末收集并回收下一次打印，使得它比其他一些制造方法，在你只需要报废刻出来的材料更具有可持续性。如果你要打印在钢铁，有一个金属粉末与金属粘合剂（胶水）这是规定了以同样的方式再进烤箱，越来越注入了一种青铜耐用性。它需要打印的东西的时间取决于它的大小 - 这是一个小床头柜的大小可能需要一整天的时间，而小饰物（如下面的画廊立方体的立方体）将需要一个小时或两个Shapeways的一个“ 10台打印机。这里有一个视频，因为它是很难解释的过程中的话（不过，如果你愿意的话，你可以在这里阅读每一个三维印刷过程中的详细说明）：

使用Shapeways，有两种方法，你可以得到一个3D打印项目。如果你是一个3D设计师，你可以上传自己的产品设计（门户网站支持所有的3D软件，其中包括谷歌SketchUp中，123D和搅拌机）。然后，该软件分析此文件，并告诉您哪些材料可以打印，哪些成本会。

在早期，当设计师开始接受他们的Shapeways项目和炫耀他们的朋友，他们问Shapeways，如果他们能获得利润，通过Shapeways出售自己的物品。这是已经达成Weijmarshausen，所以Shapeways商店诞生的想法。随着店，设计人员可以出售自己的产品，并在Etsy的，喜欢时尚，Shapeways处理客户支持，付款，生产和运输 - 销售商确定价格，并Shapeways接收打印成本。所以，如果你不是一个3D设计师 - 和大多数人都没有 - 你仍然可以从3D打印通过从店主购买中获益。商店现在有5000的卖家，有几个人已经辞去工作成为专职Shapeways店主。如果你没有看到你想要什么 - 这是，毕竟，3D打印的点 - 你可以用这些业主/设计师之一合作，以调整现有的产品，使你自己。

什么可以打印？Shapeways 3D打印

1.克莱因瓶
3D打印之前，这将是一个不可能的形状，以铸造或焊接。


2. Strandbeests
这种“行走机”是一个奇迹 - 这是由荷兰设计师，仿生兽“艺术与设计的生物”。所述Strandbeests出来的机器在一块，并能对自己的“行走”。你可以安装一个电机或一个小螺旋桨，如果风冲击，它就会开始移动。

Weijmarshausen说，他走在街上一天，抱着它，因为他不想打破它在自己的包，风使其朝着他的手中，促使困惑和怀疑的眼神看着路人。


3.光诗

轻诗是在Shapeways店唯一的项目 - 从一首诗，一个婚礼誓言最喜欢的报价，一条线 - - 你可以提供自己的文字，并可以打印成为尤伯杯个性化的烛台。

4.寓言时钟
“如果你使用互联网把这个给大家，人很聪明，让人鼓舞等，”Weijmarshausen说。

这里显示的寓言时钟是一个正常运作的时钟旋转，并与电池。这是一出在一块的另一个项目。

5.眼镜

这些玻璃被打印在五个部分：三件尼龙和两个铰链。

6.比基尼

此比基尼是印在尼龙，相同的材料的眼镜，但并不翻滚，所以它表现为更网状材料构成。

7.项链

对于3D打印一个伟大的应用程序是珠宝 - 你可以创造一些完全独特和个性化。

8.纯银手链
.即使是在纯银。

9.吸顶灯

“白色，结实而有弹性”的材料可以打印各种东西，像这样的现代吸顶灯。

10.立方体魔方

此立方体 - 由3x3x3的联锁立方体 - 被印在一块，使用激光来切割出，这不是“需要”，以创建的形状的粉末。

11.陶瓷杯碟

这是可能的陶瓷印刷...

12.多彩色陶瓷

...和在颜色。

13.艾菲尔铁塔
这是可能的打印几乎任何类型的饰品中。

14.iPad的案例

这种情况下捕捉到合适的一个iPad的背面 - 这是超轻量级。

15.喵喵猫

设计师上传了很多模因是3D打印。

16.3D软件

设计可以从任何3D软件程序被上传。
总之，几乎什么都可以3D打印 - 检查出的画廊上面看到的眼镜，比基尼和珠宝。该技术使以前不可能的形状，像克莱因瓶以上，存在。 “产品设计人员在他们的学校教育进行培训，以考虑生产的局限性 - 它没有任何意义，设计永远不能生产的产品，所以我们还没有看到多少[创新尚未]，”Weijmarshausen说。

“人们将定义自己，他们会用它来做什么 - 这一切成为可能。”

因为你可以在同一台机器上打印多种项目，以优化产量和效率，价格可以降下来是相当吸引人的。 “手镯可以为$ 100，银戒指可以为$ 40，以及考虑到它是由特别是对于你，我不认为这是一个不好的命题，”Weijmarshausen说。 “那岂不是冷静，如果你可以给你关心的人是你定制的个性化的那个人呢？这就是3D打印的原因。”

而3D打印具有商业应用软件，太多。波音和空客都已经3D打印的某些部分的飞机。一位设计人员打印这是被发射到太空卫星的一部分。和3D打印已经证明了在医药领域，它被用于打印颚骨，修复和更换臀部有用。事实上，Weijmarshausen说，一个三维印刷球窝接头和网状销进入骨使骨生长成网状，促进了非常强的连接。某些打印机可以在具体的打印，这意味着一段时间的路线，我们将能够打印的建筑。一个主要的发展是半导体原油表格印刷，所以Weijmarshausen说，他“不认为这将需要超过五年多之前，我们可以看到第一个3D印刷电路”，此时你可以打印出类似这样的MP3播放器。而一个很酷的好处是，定制的订单处理加速产品开发 - 你做什么，你卖掉它，你就会得到反馈，你提高的一个打印输出。有没有“存货”，因此改变和改进，可以更快地实现以获得产品完全正确尽可能快。

“你可以看到强大的这项新技术是......它已经交付疯狂，令人兴奋的事情，事情，我从来没有想到过的，”Weijmarshausen说。

打印或不打印？

虽然很多东西都可以3D打印，有一定的局限性。一个限制是大小 - 打印机是关于一个大文件柜的大小，因此在目前，不能打印任何大于一台迷你冰箱。另一个限制是该材料，虽然该技术在进步，使更多的基体材料并且还使多材料打印。

当然，如今的3D打印技术，什么是灌进管道，重要的是要注意的，仅仅因为一些可以3D打印并不意味着它应该是。毕竟，大规模生产的工业革命时期是约并有可能对人具有相同的日常用品，如衬衫和鞋子。随着技术的进步，我们得到了电视，iPod和iPhone。所以，当一个新的DVD播放器可能是3D打印，它没有任何意义 - 从成本的角度看 - 将其打印出来，当它是现成的群众在大盒子商店以较低的价格。

3D打印的挑战

在你阅读这篇文章，你知道什么是3D打印是和有它是如何工作的理解？大概不会，而这恰恰是Shapeways和3D印刷的同志们忙于应对 - 试图解释外行的科学。 “你怎么向人们解释，这可能是与他们相关的？”恳请Weijmarshausen。 “这并不需要是[相关]，但对于很多人来说，它是。这是一个挑战，因为它太新了。”

而面向消费者的，不过，Shapeways一直专注于制作3D打印“简单，有趣又实惠” - 作为一个前端用户，你不需要懂技术，才能体会到设计，甚至创建自己的花瓶或袖扣。 “如果我们开始谈论所有的技术和限制，那么它的凉爽为核心产品设计的核心小组，但对于普通民众，它有时令人困惑。你真的想知道你的票据打印机的工作原理，或者你只是想它来打印你的文章？“
“我们希望把它简单，有趣又实惠。”

在制作3D打印方便和实惠，产业已经取得了长足的进步。我们之前提到的，它的被用于原型了几十年。早在2007年，Weijmarshausen是在一个三维打印惯例，和克莱斯勒的高级副总裁拿着一张3D印刷塑料后视镜的形状。 “他简直不敢相信你能有这样的$ 5,000 - 这是花生给他，即使它不是花生给我们，”他说。和印刷的镜面机型的价格将成为其中的一部分了。 “互联网是一个很大的democratizer - 如果你能告诉我你想要什么，我们都可以让他们为你的机器，”Weijmarshausen说。

3D打印的未来
什么是在商店为3D打印？ Weijmarshausen坚持认为这不是一个需要为基础的业务，而是想为本的新台阶 - 你并不需要一个3D打印的比基尼，但有些人喜欢共同创造的理念和单打独斗的他们所拥有的东西的设计。该项目有其背后的故事，并成为谈论话题。所以对于Shapeways的使命是传播的福音。 “我们一直在扩大我们的主张，使其更容易和更方便的人来说，”Weijmarshausen解释说。

的Shapeways的API可以被集成到无数的平台进行打印的Minecraft和其他物品。如果它与Foursquare的整合，你可以打印一个Foursquare的徽章。该API将允许消费者将任何数字财产成为现实生活中的实体，这对未来的打印输出令人振奋的影响。

而对于整个行业，这是非常狂野西部。 “我们刚刚起步，我们真的不知道我们能做些什么 - 它就像早期的互联网里，当我们无法想象的网页浏览或Facebook或Twitter或Skype的”Weijmarshausen说。 “我们会得到更多的令人兴奋的材料，我们会得到一个混合式的材料，我们已经可以打印半导体，和一台打印机的原型，我知道已经可以打印电池 - 。如果你有电池，半导体，你有设备”
虽然有电流限制，一个新兴的三维印刷行业可以让想像力在今后的岁月里。
“很多东西 - 即使事情我们不知道，而且还没有可能 - 将3D打印。”