New Scientist
Image: seier+seier
You could call it the rebirth of the 2D printer. A new device generates flat pack-like designs in seconds using a laser pointer and a laser cutter – the latest addition to the new field of “interactive fabrication”, which promises to further help ordinary consumers become product designers.
Computer design packages and 3D printers now make it possible for anyone to dream up and build new gadgets. But the cost of the technology isn’t the only obstacle facing would-be designers, says Patrick Baudisch at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany.
“I own a $40,000 3D printer and a $40,000 laser cutter – both comparably cool pieces of equipment,” says Baudisch. “Surprisingly, the 3D printer runs once a month – the laser cutter runs several times a day.”
It’s the engineer’s need for speed that is the issue, he says. “The 3D printer takes hours. With the laser cutter I can have an object in seconds – it’s insanely fast.” Read more on newscientist.com…
