4 ms·

There are also some patents that are blocking innovation at the moment in the commercial 3D printer space.

• eclipxe 14y ago
  Interesting - I didn't know that. Do you have some examples?
  • mcpherrinm 14y ago
    Crowd-funding website Kickstarter is being sued for its promotion of a new 3D printer. More than 2,000 users contributed over $2.9m (£1.8m) to help Massachusetts-based Formlabs build the device. However, 3D Systems - a leading maker of printers that turn computer design files into real-world objects - has alleged one of its patents was being infringed by the machine. It has also filed a lawsuit against Formlabs itself. From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031
  • bdickason 14y ago
    Many are held by 3D Systems (example: Zcorp has a patent on full color printing via inkjet), some by other organizations. UT Austin has the patent for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) which is a nylon-based high-resolution 3d print. MIT has the patent for ceramic 3d printing.
  • toufka 14y ago
    Entirely anecdotal, but I was told that there are some commercial patents regarding air circulation (keeping a stable chamber is absolutely necessary for high-resolution) that are blocking some of the open projects as well.