Jan.10, 2014
Epson is developing industrial, multi-material 3D printers, said president Minoru Usui recently when he attended Epson's 30th anniversary celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Usui said the company would be focused on developing 3D printers for commercial applications – such as in large-scale production environments – and not for consumers.
Usui thinks it's possible that 3D printing may exist in the home one day, but the first step would be business, or the office, or industry. "We will not enter that market for the [3D-printed] plastic models," Mr Usui said. Usui stated he believes the current 3D printing consumer market was "niche", "very limited" and would not be "all that big".
Usui said one limitation was the types of material. There are a number of challenges to tackle, says Usui. First, printing materials were not at a high enough standard. Second, printing accuracy and production rate need to be improved.
"Not many people need to print a plastic figure." said Usui. Usui said the recent consumer interest in 3D printing would be "temporary", citing data from some reports that show a decline in sales.
So what kind of printer is Epson working on? "We are developing our own printers, but our aim is to change everything. When it comes to 3D printing... we want our machines to make anything." Usui told Engadget at CES 2014. This "anything" could mean "cars" - Usui believes cars or its parts can be printed using additive manufacturing. It will take time to improve the technology and materials, but Usui expects Epson will launch its first industrial 3D printer within 5 years.
Posted in 3D Printing Company
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Yeah, five years and you better have something revolutionary, because you'll be have an uphill climb with a "me too" product.
SirGeekALot wrote at 1/10/2014 9:41:16 PM:
In 5 years? That is a hilarious non-committal statement. He might as well have said, "We're not going to do anything right now."
SirGeekALot wrote at 1/10/2014 9:40:03 PM:
In 5 years? That is a hilarious non-committal statement. He might as well have said, "We're not going to do anything right now."
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