Is 3D Printing the Next Big Thing?

[Squilly]

I'm just starting to do a little research into 3D printing companies, specifically to invest in. More specifically, 3D Systems and Stratasys. As companies and as a niche, what do you members think of it?

[eric/]

3D printing has been around a long time, actually. What you're probably thinking of is plastic injection molding. It's got a future, but the real revolution will come from nanoscale manufacturing. Essentially, printing and assembling things from the molecular level.

[Aeolius]

3D Printed House
3D Printed (in vitro) Meat
3D Printed Human Veins

[needfx]

interesting topic. subscribing

[Aeolius]

Oddly enough the Cube, a 3D printer that seems quite "Mac-like", does not yet support the Mac platform, with its software offerings.

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by eric/

3D printing has been around a long time, actually. What you're probably thinking of is plastic injection molding. It's got a future, but the real revolution will come from nanoscale manufacturing. Essentially, printing and assembling things from the molecular level.

Plastic injection molding has been around since the 40's, 3d Printing since the 80's..

3d printers are just now becoming mainstream.

@OP yes, it's going to be the next big thing for geeks along with the software create the object.

[Jessica Lares]

Yeah, because we all have a dream about living in houses made of plastic? Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of being able to make my own stuff, but why out of all things plastic? I mean most of us here are attracted to our Macs these days because they're not made of the stuff that everyone else tends to use - plastic. And the same thing with phones.

This, at this point, is only a race to the bottom. That Cube printer is proof of that. The only thing that will happen is that people will buy this junk, struggle to make it work correctly, and there goes a $2,000 investment. The ones who do make it work, will only flood Etsy/Kickstarter with their creations, and bring outrageous pricing to something that can easy be imported from China for less than $1.

And yes, people will also use this technology to make replicas of popular fashions and toys. And there will be horrible showcase videos of stuff people make, and they'll be saying how "beautiful" and "elegant" their molded plastic is.

It's good for research, yeah, but it's going to quickly turn into what the self-published space is right now when it comes to the average person being able to use these machines. A few will do well with it, a couple will be professionals, most will do it just because they can make money.

[eric/]

Originally Posted by GermanyChris

Plastic injection molding has been around since the 40's, 3d Printing since the 80's..

3d printers are just now becoming mainstream.

Well yeah, I guess I could have been more specific and mentioned home use. But the method of 3d printing that's popping up at a more affordable level is still plastic injection molding, it's just called 3d printing.

Either way, I don't really see a future in plastic molding for home use. It's a novelty, not a new break through industry.

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

Yeah, because we all have a dream about living in houses made of plastic? Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of being able to make my own stuff, but why out of all things plastic? I mean most of us here are attracted to our Macs these days because they're not made of the stuff that everyone else tends to use - plastic. And the same thing with phones.

This, at this point, is only a race to the bottom. That Cube printer is proof of that. The only thing that will happen is that people will buy this junk, struggle to make it work correctly, and there goes a $2,000 investment. The ones who do make it work, will only flood Etsy/Kickstarter with their creations, and bring outrageous pricing to something that can easy be imported from China for less than $1.

And yes, people will also use this technology to make replicas of popular fashions and toys. And there will be horrible showcase videos of stuff people make, and they'll be saying how "beautiful" and "elegant" their molded plastic is.

It's good for research, yeah, but it's going to quickly turn into what the self-published space is right now when it comes to the average person being able to use these machines. A few will do well with it, a couple will be professionals, most will do it just because they can make money.

They don't all use plastic anymore..

Some use SLM (Selective Laser Melting) just not for the home yet.

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Originally Posted by eric/

Well yeah, I guess I could have been more specific and mentioned home use. But the method of 3d printing that's popping up at a more affordable level is still plastic injection molding, it's just called 3d printing.

Either way, I don't really see a future in plastic molding for home use. It's a novelty, not a new break through industry.

No it's not..there needs to be a mold for plastic injection molding...

There is no mold on printers

[Squilly]

This is why I'm so tempted to invest:
http://i.imgur.com/JQMO09W.png
Analysts are saying "buy" too, but also saying its risky... Which is really what you guys said.

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by Squilly

This is why I'm so tempted to invest:
http://i.imgur.com/JQMO09W.png
Analysts are saying "buy" too, but also saying its risky... Which is really what you guys said.

I think you already missed the boat on that one..but that's just me

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by Aeolius

3D Printed House
3D Printed (in vitro) Meat
3D Printed Human Veins

That meat sounds disgusting. The other too look cool though (I read the articles).

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Originally Posted by GermanyChris

I think you already missed the boat on that one..but that's just me

On what? Too high of a share price?

[eric/]

Originally Posted by GermanyChris

No it's not..there needs to be a mold for plastic injection molding...

There is no mold on printers

Ok one has a mold, the other doesn't need a mold.

It's still the same thing

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Originally Posted by Squilly

That meat sounds disgusting. The other too look cool though (I read the articles).

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On what? Too high of a share price?

Want a good investment?

Here ya go

unless you're still trying to get rich quick or something. In that case just pick whatever has the coolest stock ticker, it's all gambling anyway so it won't really matter how you lose your money or how low your return is

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by eric/

Ok one has a mold, the other doesn't need a mold.

It's still the same thing

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Want a good investment?

Here ya go

unless you're still trying to get rich quick or something. In that case just pick whatever has the coolest stock ticker, it's all gambling anyway so it won't really matter how you lose your money or how low your return is

Kroger
ZAGG
DDD
?

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by eric/

Ok one has a mold, the other doesn't need a mold.

It's still the same thing

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Want a good investment?

Here ya go

unless you're still trying to get rich quick or something. In that case just pick whatever has the coolest stock ticker, it's all gambling anyway so it won't really matter how you lose your money or how low your return is

No there not...

Not even close

[eric/]

Originally Posted by GermanyChris

No there not...

Not even close

Ok.

What's this huge crazy difference?

[Squilly]

Kroger
ZAGG
DDD
?

[eric/]

Originally Posted by Squilly

Kroger
ZAGG
DDD
?

How do you pick these stocks?

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by eric/

How do you pick these stocks?

Dividend, quality, ability to expand, Zagg is still small, same with DDD, and Kroger is about to buy Acme.

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by eric/

Ok.

What's this huge crazy difference?

no mold, no hot plastic, doesn't even need to be plastic for 3d printing..not the same

[eric/]

Originally Posted by GermanyChris

no mold, no hot plastic, doesn't even need to be plastic for 3d printing..not the same

what home 3d printers are you referring to?

and just because the plastic is or isn't hot isn't even really a difference. I'm talking about the concept, making things out of plastic from a machine in an automated fashion.

the only actual difference that matters here is scale, and of course industrial printers are far more capabled

[GermanyChris]

Originally Posted by eric/

what home 3d printers are you referring to?

and just because the plastic is or isn't hot isn't even really a difference. I'm talking about the concept, making things out of plastic from a machine in an automated fashion.

the only actual difference that matters here is scale, and of course industrial printers are far more capabled

Move goal posts much..

You said plastic injection molding, not creating crap out of plastic at home.

How about for 3d printing, the material doesn't need to be plastic.

[eric/]

Originally Posted by Squilly

Dividend, quality, ability to expand, Zagg is still small, same with DDD, and Kroger is about to buy Acme.

Well, according to those tickers the only one wiht a dividend is Kroger.

Quality and ability to expand? How do you know that these companies are high quality with an ability to expand?

Wanna know how and why I suggested Ford?

Every day when I'm driving around I see new Ford cars. Brand new Ford cars. And they look good. When I watch TV, there are solid Ford commercials on, touting the F-150, Ecoboost, and how it's the #1 selling vehicle in America.

Ford was recently ranked #1 for customer loyalty, ahead of Toyota and Honda even.

Because of that (before the loyalty stuff), I bought Ford stock at ~ $9.00 per share. It's up to $14.00.

When I ask you what makes you pick these stocks, your answers are solely based on numbers, and in my opinion that's a terrible way to pick stocks. Numbers don't tell the whole story, far from it. Do you see the difference in our picks?

Now obviously I'm no stock broker or anything like that, but I'm just trying to highlight the difference in how we both approach this to give you better insight and hopefully more information when it comes to picking stocks or funds.

First, you need to recognize that picking stocks like this is literally gambling. You're not a stock broker, and the vast majority of them fail to hit good returns over the long haul. Investment companies couldn't care less how well the market does, because they make their money off fees and services, and if the stock market does well, they make even more money off your money. The entire industry, all this analysis is built upon that. You're investing money on the hope, that some of these companies hit it big and that you get a huge payout. But be weary my friend, because even if that happens, in the long run the liklihood of you continuing to pick lottery stocks is very small, and in the end just like everybody else you'll not beat the market. You should REALLY think about some of these stock picks before you buy into them.

That's my 2 c. Hope I'm not coming across as rude, because that's not my intention. I've just seen too many people fall into this trap and lose money over it.

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Originally Posted by GermanyChris

Move goal posts much..

You said plastic injection molding, not creating crap out of plastic at home.

How about for 3d printing, the material doesn't need to be plastic.

I was under the impression we were talking about 3d printers, and printing, such as the one picture posted here.

Yeah the material doesn't need to be plastic, but pretty much all of these machines make things out of plastic.

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by eric/

Well, according to those tickers the only one wiht a dividend is Kroger.

Quality and ability to expand? How do you know that these companies are high quality with an ability to expand?

Wanna know how and why I suggested Ford?

Every day when I'm driving around I see new Ford cars. Brand new Ford cars. And they look good. When I watch TV, there are solid Ford commercials on, touting the F-150, Ecoboost, and how it's the #1 selling vehicle in America.

Ford was recently ranked #1 for customer loyalty, ahead of Toyota and Honda even.

Because of that (before the loyalty stuff), I bought Ford stock at ~ $9.00 per share. It's up to $14.00.

When I ask you what makes you pick these stocks, your answers are solely based on numbers, and in my opinion that's a terrible way to pick stocks. Numbers don't tell the whole story, far from it. Do you see the difference in our picks?

Now obviously I'm no stock broker or anything like that, but I'm just trying to highlight the difference in how we both approach this to give you better insight and hopefully more information when it comes to picking stocks or funds.

First, you need to recognize that picking stocks like this is literally gambling. You're not a stock broker, and the vast majority of them fail to hit good returns over the long haul. Investment companies couldn't care less how well the market does, because they make their money off fees and services, and if the stock market does well, they make even more money off your money. The entire industry, all this analysis is built upon that. You're investing money on the hope, that some of these companies hit it big and that you get a huge payout. But be weary my friend, because even if that happens, in the long run the liklihood of you continuing to pick lottery stocks is very small, and in the end just like everybody else you'll not beat the market. You should REALLY think about some of these stock picks before you buy into them.

That's my 2 c. Hope I'm not coming across as rude, because that's not my intention. I've just seen too many people fall into this trap and lose money over it.

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I was under the impression we were talking about 3d printers, and printing, such as the one picture posted here.

Yeah the material doesn't need to be plastic, but pretty much all of these machines make things out of plastic.

Thanks for the advice. I don't just look at numbers. I look at their headlines and news, and analyst predictions. When I looked at Ford an hour ago, they were at $14. Analysts said they wouldn't go over $11, granted this was 6 months ago. Look at ZAGG. They're the equivalent of Ford in the technology niche. #1 accessory company worldwide. Doesn't that say something?
DDD - they're going to be huge in a couple of years. I don't want to miss out on them once they turn into Apple (bad analogy, Apple is down $60). Kroger owns the third largest jeweler in the nation, turkey hill, and Kroger markets. They've been expanding for the last six months.

[ejb190]

My parents own an outdoor equipment shop. On their shelves are all kinds of parts. A lot of these parts are plastic. When the manufacturer makes these parts, they produce 10k, 100k, a million of a specific part, use a bunch of them to manufacture the whole good and put the rest in a warehouse somewhere to be available when someone needs a spare. We order it and it shows up a few days later. When the spares run out, the manufacturer may or may not produce a new run depending on demand.

If we tried to stock, let's say an engine cover for a chain saw. We have carried 50+ different models of saw over the years. That would be a lot of inventory that wouldn't move very fast. But when you need one, you need it.

Now, let's put a 3D printer in our shop. We can now produce that exact same part in the shop. No warehousing. No shipping. No ordering. The manufacturer makes a revision to the part (which happens frequently). No problem. There is no pile of obsolete parts laying around. All they do is update the computer file and the next one off the printer is updated.

Yah, I'm kind of excited about where this technology is heading. And if you are looking at investing, The Motley Fool been talking about 3D printing for the last two years.