Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Systems is investing heavily in a belief that people will lock to the irst product
that makes it easy to bring digital content into the physical world.
Abe Reichental, CEO of 3D Systems, likens 3D printing to the “blank
canvas of the 21
st
century.” Abe sees 3D printing as a great equalizer. “My
assertion is that everyone can be creative if you remove all the friction and
intimidation,” he told reporters at the launch of the company's new con-
sumer product, a sleek, gleaming low-cost 3D printer called The Cube.
1
The
Cube resembles a high-end home espresso machine and is 3D Systems' irst
foray into the home-scale markets. Its handsome appearance contrasts with
the intentionally home-spun look of other leading home printers such as
MakerBot's popular Replicator.
Innovation is a long-standing company tradition. In the mid-1980s, 3D
System's founder Chuck Hull invented stereolithography, a printing technique
that's used today by many of the world's industrial-grade 3D printers. I noticed
during my visit, in the back of the reception area sat a vintage SLA1, a symbol
of 3D Systems' long track record in the industrial space. Similar in appearance
to an old 1960s mainframe and roughly the size of a vending machine, the
SLA1, the world's irst commercial 3D printer, rested peacefully, plugged into
a now-vintage 1987 IBM PC.
Behind the reception desk the Willy Wonka-esque ambiance continued.
Several glass-walled rooms hummed with people conducting company busi-
ness. A suitably magisterial-looking company boardroom was visible through a
wall of glass, complete with large, digniied looking mahogany board table. In
another glass-walled room, teams of white-coated technicians bustled around
like nurses tending to patients. Inside, two dozen 3D printers of all shapes
and sizes—3D Systems' entire printer product line—were represented. The
technicians were ine-tuning each printer's performance and testing out the
properties of new materials.
Rajeev Kulkarni, the company's Vice President of Consumer Products,
explained that to bring consumers into the game, the 3D printing industry
needs a platform, one which spans the entire creation lifecycle, from 3D scan,
to design, to print. Rajeev said, “People are used to Google. They're used to
Microsoft. They're used to Amazon. We're taking the best elements of all these
strategies and bringing them together onto a platform that enables them to
experience 3D the same way.”
3D Systems' platform strategy takes its cue from the world of software,
where the consumer experience, as well as a company's market dominance, rest
