Markets in Everything: Consumer 3D Printer

Filed under: Investing, Shopping, Technology

MakerBot's CEO Bre Pettis held a press conference at his company's booth at CES today. The company is innovating in the consumer 3D printing market and unveiled the new Replicator 2X 3-D printer.

Ever seen a 3D printer in action? If not, here's your chance. At CES 2013, MakerBot showed off its new Replicator 2X, an "experimental" version of the company's landmark 3D printer that offers some twists on the Replicator 2's design. The 2X features dual extruding nozzles that allow printing in multiple colors, and it uses thermoplastic ABS instead of the material known as PLA, which tends to be the preferred material for those new to the 3D printing world.

So you've decided to jump into the world of 3D printing. Time to pick out your hardware. With a number of different companies all hawking their product as the latest and greatest, it can be a bit confusing to know where to start. The most recent issue of Make Magazine offers detailed reviews on a number of popular models of 3D printers, breaking down each of their strengths and weaknesses.

3D printing is a fledgling technology that will almost certainly change the world and Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot, is in the center of the action.

Despite being thousands of miles apart, Ivan Owen in Bellingham, Washington and Richard Van As in South Africa built a working robotic hand for a South African boy named Liam who was born without fingers, reports TechCrunch. When the team at MakerBot, a popular 3D printing company, heard about the project, it donated two of its new Replicator 2 3D printers to the cause.

Trefis submits: HP (NYSE:HPQ) is a leading provider of printers, ink and PCs to both consumers and businesses. Some of HP’s most popular PC brands are Pavilion, Compaq and TouchSmart, while its popular printer offerings include LaserJet, Officejet, InkJet and Photosmart.

As Karl Smith points out, there’s certainly a huge consumer surplus associated with the Internet that goes beyond its financial “worth.” But I think people are sometimes too quick to point to this sort of thing as undercutting bleak narratives about income trends. After all, consumer surplus is not a new phenomenon.