EPSON 3D printer revealed

From: Dorjano.Baruca@src-comp.si
Date: Fri Jan 23 1998 - 12:06:10 EET


Greeting to all RP participants

Please read this carefully an entirely.
Let's go back to the beginning of this discussion. It was about stock
prices.
In this issue we discuss the healthiness of RP industry (RPI). Someone
opinion
 was that RPI is going up the others opinion was just the opposite.

I follow RPI a couple off years and the thing that disturb me more is that
despite
a huge number of scientist, researchers, students and RP makers there is no
simple 3D printing device. Instead we have a very complicated High-Tec
machines which are verrrry costly. I'm highlighting High-Tec here.
A lot of companies at least in Europe (as far as I know) are thinking to
buy RP
but there is a wall called price. But not just the price for RP equipment
itself, we
must add a training, spare parts (how often do you change a LASER), a not
small salary for almost scientist which is serving an RP machine. Not to
mention
a special air-conditioned rooms etc.
I'm trying right now to define two user groups. One group could be composed
by
a big corporate users making a big moulds or similar. Users who design all
kinds
of products compose the other group (they're making a lot of changes and
iterations).
The second group certainly needs a simple 3D printer like the famous EPSON
3D.
I have to mention here Sanders Prototype Inc. and Z-Corporation because of
their
"Most close to an ideal desktop RP machine".

With the technology available today it's possible to achieve 3D printing.
Almost 10 years ago I somehow make a mistake on QMS color printer (color
transfer
technology) and I print for hundred (!) times on the same shit of paper.
The result was
1mm thick piece of ink with the shape of a bird. This was my first RP
experience.
Back to the two groups. The firs group and the smallest one will continue
to use very
High-Tec solution. One reason could be the price of mould, which actually
cost
100000 and more US$. In such a big amount of money the expenses of RP could
be
easily hidden. The potential of the second group it's far more bigger. The
buyer-user
could be every designer - engineer, artist and even my little daughter who
could make
her own toys. And there are a lot of other potential users. And if we think
further on how
many iterations we're making when designing a product?
Right now we have the technology called InkJet which is very mature and
it's no big
step from spiting ink on paper to spiting glue on powdered material. Just
look at
existing examples, you know where (I don't want to make advertising here).

So, the conclusion it's very simple (back to Stocks). I'm predicting a
"EPSON 3D" like
printer in the next two years. What these mean for the RP stocks figure out
by yourself.

Oh yes. For all those puzzle solvers. The picture of EPSON 3D it's a
remaking of
 EPSON Stylus Color 3000 (A2 printer/ploter).

Conclusion:

Is this a yoke?
     No certainly no. This is too serious to be a yoke.
Why?
     I jus like to know what are the needs of RP market.
What sort of response I received?
     I was astonished. I received more than 200! E-mails, faxes even a
phone calls.
     All this response came from RP user and, ? you won't believe a lot of
RP
     producers too. There were individuals who bet their future on this
printer,
      and another one that was ready to buy 10 pieces immediately, not to
mention
     (read carefully) a broker house?
     So let's meditate a bit on this "3D Printing" story. And let's take
this as a big lesson.
What now?
     I hope that the RP equipment producers received the idea - the way to
go.
     On the user side, let's wait for another year. There are EPSON 3D like
printers
     on InkJet producer's drawing boards. Try to ask HP, CALCOMP, NOVAJET,
     OCE and others. Maybe they could tell you something.
Apology
     All this writing is just my point of view. You could agree or
disagree- it's up to you!
     Accept my apology because I express my point of view in a such
non-conventional manner.
     My apology goes to EPSON because I abused his name.
     All in RP mailing list take my apology for this experiment.
     Also apology to all of you who may have any problem because of this
experiment.

The final paragraph
I hope that this was a big lesson for all. Special for stock brokers (how
to shake the stock market).
And again. My intentions were good. This was an experiment let me call it
"Where to go in RP"

Regards,

Dorjano Baruca
Technical Manager - CAD

SRC Computers, d.o.o.
Trzaska 116, p.p. 2988
1001 Ljubljana
SLOVENIA
tel. +386 61 1233232
fax +386 61 1234173



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