In this column, we’ve talked about creating your own books, selling your art and handicrafts online, hacking and repurposing the gadgets in your life, doing kitchen-top science with kids, and other aspects of DIY. What about manufacturing your own goods? What if you could dream something up, draw it on your computer, and then send it — a 3D object — to a printer where it would magically appear, almost like the replicator in Star Trek?

This is not science fiction. It’s called 3D printing, desktop fabbing, personal fabrication, and a number of other things. Tools to make it happen include various types of 3D printers, CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) milling machines, and laser cutters. Most of this tech is still way too expensive for individuals and small groups to afford, but that’s changing, by the day. There are several open source projects online, such as Fab@Home and RepRap, which are attempting to create systems that can be built with readily available parts and where collaboration and innovation shared via the Net can help advance this technology as quickly as possible. Also, storefront entities such as TechShop, are teaching classes in these technologies and making the tools available for use through paid memberships.

And now there are online companies, like Ponoko, that are doing with real-world objects what CafePress and Etsy did for T-shirts and selling your wares online. You can design an object, say a chair, a table, a lamp, and upload the design files to the site. They’ll on-demand manufacture the item for you, using CNC machines and other fab tech, and mail you the finished product. You can also sell your creations through the site, a la CafePress. The implications of such technology are staggering. Imagine a world in which many of the objects in your life are created in your home. You simply decide you need something, you search out the appropriate design files online (or design it yourself), print it out, put it together, and you’re done. Star Trek, indeed.

BTW: I saw an eye-opening example of this type of technology at the recent Maker Faire Austin. Jeffrey and Jillian from Because We Can were there. They’re a designer couple who run a design-build company powered by CNC machines. They’d brought an “art golf” golf course they’d created, from inception to on-site set-up, in 30 days. It was incredible, beautifully designed and built, whimsical, all kinds of creative. And just plain COOL. They even designed it to fold up and had designed and manufactured the boxes to ship it in.

Here to learn more about Ponoko.
Here to learn more about the Fab@Home project.
Here to learn more at the RepRap project.
Here for more about ArtGolf at Maker Faire.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007 at 4:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.