A new patent pending technology could revolutionize metal printing, making it more affordable, more accessible and safer than ever before.

Additive manufacturing metal parts has been around for a long time. If you count welding, pretty much forever.

3D Printing Is Awesome

Everything you own today could benefit from 3D printing.

• In development, 3D printing enables faster prototyping, allows freeer design^[1]compared to other manufacturing processes and thereby easily testing functional models.
• In production, 3D printing enables geometries no other process can build, allows for small series production and thereby faster release-schedules.
• Unlike any other process, 3D printing allows off-site development, distributed production and thereby is an absolute necessity for a truly digital economy.

Plastic printers have already accomplished all of the above. Metal printers still lack accessibility, mainly due to their high price.

A New Generation

I have developed a process that enables printing metal at roughly one order of magnitude cheaper than ever before.

A printer could be as cheap as a large photocopying machine. Maintenance time per printer would be cut in half. Required space overhead^[2]i.e. space required by the machine but not used for printing could be brought down by a factor of ten.

I built a proof of principle and was able to show the process is possible, reliable and all required magic is obtainable.

Trouble In Paradise

Today's metal printers start at roughly 100 k€^[3]One example to the contrary: Aurora Labs has a printer for 50 k$.. That is a prohibitive price tag for SMEs and demands an immediate business case for any large business thinking about buying one.

Not included in the immediate price tag is the overhead cost usually in the order of 50 k€, plus the requirement to hire or train specialized personnel.

Though highly capable, these systems can't reach cost-cautious economic entities and thereby are inaccessible to the general public.

Reaching New Markets

SMEs can afford photocopying machines. Today's metal printers are reserved for companies large enough to afford the printer, personnel to operate it, space to operate large machines, etc. My printer can change that.

• It's price-tag of 10 k€ is easily covered in a yearly budget.
• The technology doesn't require special training.
• Overhead cost are well below 10 k€ per printer.

A printer based on this technology is accessible for people who don't already know they need one and allows for a more experimental approach to applying metal printing.

Though there are businesses that already (want to) operate a metal printer, a much larger market is composed of SMEs who don't know they would benefit from one. These are first and foremost SMEs of the creative sectors that might need a special part or tool for a project^[4]Think of interior designers printing artisan door handles, sign makers printing metal logo writing for storefronts or a tailor designing his own buttons and belt buckles., people who prototype a lot^[5]Architects, hardware-developers, toy-makers, etc., and finally everybody working with metal including your local repair business that would rather print spare parts instead of stockpiling them.

Creating New Markets

Apart from people who don't have but could use a printer, there are some people offering printing as a service even today. (e.g. Shapeways) These companies print your models and deliver the object via mail. Few companies offer this service for metal parts and when they do it's extremely expensive.

A cheap metal printer of low operating costs could enable metal printing as a service and enable a competitive market for thousands of local print-shops.

Enabling A Better Future - Enabling People

I want you to imagine downloading a car. I want you to imagine owning and upgrading products the same way you stream music today. I want you to imagine people around the world coming together to create physical art in the same way they create digital art today.

And then think of how we could get there:

Advancing Development

To enable hardware design worthy of the 21^st century, 3D printing any material at low cost is absolutely necessary.

• Development needs prototypes. Quick and easy access to prototypes allows trying more inventive ideas. If prototypes are cheap, it doesn't matter if they fail.
• Teams are spread around the globe. That works with digital products and services. Having completely distributed teams design a piece of hardware requires every member having easy access to the latest version. A 3D printer is access.
• Modern manufacturing can't build some geometries. Building a labyrinthine metal pipe in one piece isn't just expensive, it's geometrically impossible. 3D printers can build any geometry.^[6]Their fundamental limit is their finite precision: can't build a .005 mm wall with .1 mm precision.

Advancing Production

Printing is the most versatile manufacturing process existing right now. There are already some products 3D printed from plastic, harnessing the advantages 3D printing generally brings:

• Complex structures: 3D printing allows for structures with massive internal complexity. This allows e.g. for lighter structures by using lattice materials instead of bulk.
• Customization: Any print can deviate as much as you like. So every single one can be adapted to be precisely the way your customer wants.
• Low waste: Subtractive methods take a huge chunk of metal and take away material until the desired object is achieved. A lot scrap is produced. The only scrap 3D printing produces is that of supporting structures.

If printing metal is cheap, engineers would be free to build lightweight inner structures, complex small mechanics or simply adapt the product to the customer.

Imagine a baseball bat as stiff or flexible as you want. Or suspension and shock absorber printed as part of your car's chassis with selectively strong and soft structuring. How about simply custom watch wristlets?

Changing Distribution

Once a thing is a file, it travels as one. Instead of shipping a part around the world, just download it and print it in the nearest print shop.

Printing files onto paper is a viable business model. My metal printer would cost about the same as a big office printer. Demand will exist the moment people realize they can print things faster than they can order them, but with all the perks of downloading a file:
customization, repeatability and infinite shelf life.

Development could be just as distributed as production. Today some companies already have software developer teams spread across the globe. This is just as possible with hardware development, but people need to have access to whatever they are developing. 3D printing does just that.^[7]To offer 3D printing to the largest number of people possible, it has to be safe enough to be placed in an apartment. And it has to be even cheaper. We have a long road still ahead!

What Is Still Missing

We are a team of three tech experts looking to turn our idea into reality. Right now, we are looking for a CFO. A little down the road, we will need marketing and sales experts as well.

If you are enamored by metal manufacturing in general or 3D printing in particular and have some experience in these fields, get in touch!