Approximately one third of the economical 3-D printing systems are going to schools.

by David Mantey, Editor, PD&D

Students are coming out of colleges and high schools with hands on experience using the Dimension System the powder-based system from Z Corp.

According to Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president of Fort Collins, CO-based Wohlers Associates, about a third of the $20,000 to $30,000 systems are going to schools. “Not only are students coming out of colleges, but also high schools with hands on experience with using primarily the Dimension System from Stratasys and the powder-based system from Z Corp.

“These kids are coming out of school and they’re already familiar with this technology’s capabilities. They have ideas of their own of how the systems can be applied. It gets them excited about engineering and product development as a career [in a time when] too few people are choosing design or manufacturing for a career,” adds Wohlers.

As these systems become priced under $10,000 and $5,000, Wohlers believes that these machines will eventually be priced in the $100s.

“If you look at the component parts that make up some of these 3-D printers, we’re not talking about a whole lot more than just an inkjet printer with an added Z-axis elevator mechanism. We know that you can buy an inkjet printer for under $100 today and, in sufficient volume, someone will try. They won’t have the capabilities of the FDM and laser sintering machines, but they’ll be more of an experimental research type platform.”