By Martin Stevens, CEO, A1 Technologies 
Many column inches, not to mention many musings in the blog-o-sphere, have been dedicated to the accessibility of 3D printing to the masses.
The core discussions focus on the potential of the technology; how to make it more cost-effective for the man on the street and the developments that have taken place in recent years that suggest this is now happening. Throughout, the priority for many commentators seems to be costs. Accessibility for all includes cost, but that is not the only driver.
To be clear, when I discuss accessibility it is both in terms of costs and how easy the technology is to use and work with. When I talk about 3D printing, I am referring to the lower end of the machine range that utilises additive layer technologies for producing parts, products, and components. The industry has many different definitions associated with additive manufacturing and 3D printing, and it is still necessary to state one’s own position for clarity.
Having been involved in the 3D printing sector for many years now, the many business developments have fascinated me, but more than that it has been the accessibility issues that have been central to my dedicated remit. When aligned with my commitment to promote design and engineering in education and apprenticeship schemes, the 3D printing arena offers so many opportunities.
The 3D printing sector is still overcoming the cost issue it has inherited, namely the deep pockets that have historically been necessary to fully utilise additive technologies. The high investment costs associated with rapid prototyping originally, and with additive manufacturing now, have certainly been a dominant factor in making 3D printing inaccessible — and preventing widespread adoption.
However, in the last three years or so open source projects have reached market readiness and entrepreneurial start-ups have come to fruition. 3D printers — supplied in kit form — are now readily available around the $1,500 mark.
This is very accessible pricing, but there are other important issues that still prevent mainstream accessibility.
Notice how the machines have been available for $1,500 for approximately two years. While the numbers sold have been steadily increasing the volume of sales has been nothing extraordinary. (Think iPhone 4/iPad sales for headline-grabbing volumes in the same period of time.)
The two further issues that, quite simply, must be addressed before 3D printing becomes a real, every day activity are the ease of set-up/use of 3D printers, and the accessibility of associated 3D technology, such as 3D design.
The promotional material for 3D printer kits does not exactly omit the set-up specifications; rather it dresses up the printer build as a fun activity that is part of the 3D printing experience. Don’t get me wrong, it is not necessarily a bad thing for students to be tasked with this employment, similarly, for hobbyists it would prove a fascinating engineering project in itself that brings great understanding of the process and how the machine works. However, my experience, as well as a cursory glance at the many forums set up on the internet, suggest that 3D printer construction can often prove to be a frustrating undertaking. For example, a BfB RapMan typically takes many man-hours (up to a week) to construct. Similarly, the Makerbot Thing-O-Matic takes multiple people, and days, to construct.
Subsequent developments to the 3D printer kits have resulted in similar machines that are sold ready-built. The machines, which overcome the construction frustrations, are available at an added premium and are priced around the $3,000 mark (BfB-3000, PP3DP Up). Even so, 3D printing is still not a plug-and-play activity. Calibrating the machine and getting all of the settings right for the precise build of parts takes experience, time, and patience — not exactly things that every man has in plentiful supply.
Until such issues are overcome at the point-of-sale, it is unlikely that 3D printers will be an attractive proposition for anyone without at least an interest in engineering principles.
The final point that I wish to make is that there is another crucial dimension to widespread accessibility and adoption of 3D printing that is often overlooked — the 3D data. Any 3D printed part has to be created in 3D software prior to being built on the printer. The most common method for this is 3D CAD — a well-understood and widely adopted technology within the engineering community. 3D CAD is a great tool but even experienced users are not without some complaint(s) — and it is not cheap.
Now consider that there are some 7 billion people in the world.
How many of these people are 3D CAD enabled and/or would be in a position to invest in the software?
I don’t have a definitive answer, but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be a 0.0 followed by more zeros. The more poignant question is how many might design in 3D if the right tools were available to them? How many people would want to print out their creation? These questions remain unanswered, but you can see that just the questions themselves point to a vast potential for a huge growth market — for all 3D technologies.
As an isolated sector, 3D printing is certainly heading in the right direction; even throughout the turbulent global recession, it has been a sector that has gone against the general current. My personal opinion is that 3D printing can — and will — become a global phenomenon in the fullness of time. But it will not happen until all of the issues that currently make it inaccessible to the masses are overcome.
About Martin Stevens & A1 Technologies
Martin Stevens is the CEO of A1 Technologies, an advanced technology company, which he set up jointly with Trupti Patel in early 2009 to bring low cost 3D technologies to as broad a market as possible. These cutting edge products are sold globally into education, industry and to individuals, with the dedicated remit of changing the way that people think about designing and making in 3D. Their products meet the needs of education, industry, creatives and hobbyists.
Outside 3D technologies, Martin’s expertise relates primarily to the SME sector, particularly in the fields of manufacturing and education, and his external activities are fully aligned with his professional role. Martin is the Chairman of Made in London, an organisation that supports the needs of the 20,000 manufacturers based in London. He is also currently a Board member of The Mayor’s London Skills and Employment Board and an Employer Champion for the UK Engineering Diploma.
For more info on A1 Technologies, email info@a1-tech.co.uk and visit www.a1-tech.co.uk.