I realize that his topic has been touched on here and there but I figure an entire thread should be dedicated to this... since it can and will affect the entire toy market at some point in the future.
I know very little about 3D printing. I do know however, that you can produce darn near anything with them and it's estimated that 10 years down the road, they will be a household fixture (just like inkjet printers are now). And with anything, they hold a huge amount of potential for good (creating the rest of the M.U.S.C.L.E. line, making replacement parts & accessories for things like Transformers, Lego & He-Man) to Evil (outright, counterfeiting).
Myself as well as others, have a lot of questions and misconceptions about 3D printing and where the technology it is, as of today in July 2014.
Here's a few questions to start it off:
- Can you 3D print rubber, PVC, ABS etc. and if not, do you see it happening soon?
- I read about how soon, they plan on 3D printing cosmetics to match every shade on the color wheel... so I assume you can print plastics in every shade as well?
- How close are the textures of 3D printing? Is everything rough at this point or is it possible to create all of the smooth, finely polished details that can be viewed under a magnifying glass?
- It seems not only plausible, but inevitable that a few years down the road, you will be able to download all of the plans to 3D print the entire line of say, Transformers. The file will probably include all of the exact plans to print to blister pack too!
And finally, do you see this having an effect on you and your collections?
NOTE* PLEASE keep this thread on topic and stay civil. I really want to know more about this and think that maybe we can separate some of the facts from fiction on this one.