We have all seen that old pirating ad that asks, “If you could download pizza, would you?” Now that concept seems to become more of a realistic idea than we would think. While 3D printers aren’t exactly a new idea or new in general, these gadgets are becoming more accessible to the public. I don’t know about printing pizza, but printing a new pencil holder might be something you could make at home right from your computer. The best example of 3D printers that are available to the public would be a printer shop that can be found in Chicago, Ill. The 3d Printer Experience, which can be found on 316 N. Clark St., Chicago, is a shop that hosts a variety of services involving their various industrial 3D printer models.
The first example is their printing on demand option. With this you can choose from four different materials (Nylon, PLA, ABS, and Brick), pick a custom image that you want printed and pick it up from them when it is ready. Each of the materials has a price listed per cubic centimeter. You can do all of this from either email correspondence or going directly to the store. One of the perks of this is, if you have a design drawn of something that you wish could come to life, they can make your dream a reality.
However they don’t have to do all of this for you. They offer classes so that you can learn how to operate the basics of 3D printing technology so you can do this by yourself. In this class you learn the basics of an at-home model of a 3D printer and make a simple design that you get to take home after you finish making it. Along these lines, they have a pendant maker that you can access directly from their website. This way you can make a unique charm, download the pattern, and get it printed in store. By far the coolest thing they have is that you can print yourself. They do a 360 degree scan of your bust and print out a 2-4 inch model made out of a variety of fun materials.
The future is truly now. We can print our face in a model; we can make our designs come to life with the click of a button. What’s next, printable pizza?