The World is a Sandbox

The idea of 3D printing isn't a new one. Hobbyists have been utilizing 3D printers for years to create replicas and models. It's a pretty simple idea- the user creates a virtual 3D model of the given item using a specialized software program, then sends this blueprint to the actual printer. The printer then physically creates the item by placing down the chosen material in layers, starting with the inside and working it's way out.

This raises the question- what else could we print? Couldn't we print bigger things, simply by making the printers larger? Couldn't we expand the types of materials that could be used? Couldn't we 3D print the Death Star? I mean... couldn't we?

All of this is certainly interesting, but is this method of production (if you can really call it that) actually worth paying any attention to?

Yes, it is. This is awesome. What makes it even better is that the whole focus of this car is on being economical. It's light, weighing in at 1,200 pounds. It's certainly much cheaper to build than your traditional automobile. Finally, it's efficient. Get this- the head engineer of this car plans to drive it all the way from San Francisco to New York on 10 gallons of gas. That should draw some attention.

What about durability? After all, it is made out of some highly complicated, highly engineered, highly high-tech plastic material. That would seem to raise some concerns, but the company creating this car plans to put it through all the same safety inspections that a normal car would have to pass. Seems like they really want to get this thing right.

So what else is out there in the world of 3D printing? Well, there are guns. Guns that actually work and shoot stuff. Bear in mind that while high-performance 3D printers are extremely expensive, you can purchase smaller ones for under $1,000. This means that anybody with a decent printer can crank out a functioning AR-15, simply by downloading the blueprint. It will be interesting to see where this all leads to.


In the meantime, why not 3D print yourself an Oscar? Or perhaps a backscratcher.