Estate agents coined the phrase, 'Location, Location, Location' to describe the three most essential factors in buying a home as early as 1926. Having conducted a Google search and finding nothing I'd like to lay claim to the title of this article as the three most essential factors in purchasing a 3D printer.
Before you consider purchasing a machine, you will likely have a specific application in mind, if not the choice in front of you may appear dumbfounding. Do you need quick, rough, and ready prototypes? Are you looking at creating dimensionally accurate tooling? Are you looking at manufacturing end-use parts? Perhaps all three of those things?
There will likely be a technology for your needs, but understanding how to select can prove challenging. TCT Magazine puts case studies or application discovery front-and-centre, as does tonight's TCT Awards and TCT Show will do the same from 2020 when it becomes TCT 3Sixty.
You don't have to wait a year to see the joys of applications. The TCT Show floor and the conference sessions are brimming with use case studies geared to broaden the knowledge of 3D printing. And we've still got another full day to go (register here).
As an example of the breadth of applications, I'd recommend a walk down our central aisle; it is demonstrative of the scope of 3D printing adoption. Earlier today, my phone flashed up with memories of six years ago - my first ever TCT Show - on display there was sunglasses, dolls, masks, etc. They were rudimentary examples of the push for the technology to be solely end-use; it almost shunned the aspects of this technology, but it was the zeitgeist.
This year's central aisle is so far removed that you'd be forgiven that different technologies were at play. Instead of using SLA for miniature figurines, you see a prototype of huge engine crankcase printed on the RPS neo800 machine, instead of SLS dolls you see huge architectural models of the Neasden Temple by Additive, instead of FDM Yoda Busts you see an FDM plenum assembly that is strong, heat resistant and airtight from GoPrint3D. I could go on, instead, watch the video at the top of this page.
3D printing is all about your application of it, and just like it took a TV show to popularise the headline phrase for realtors, for 3D printer manufacturers, it is going to take a show too, namely TCT Show.
