The world of 3D Printing is growing exponentially right now.
It seems there are new printers entering the market everyday and they are becoming more affordable and realistic as a desktop fixture. Yet for people who have yet to have their first incredible experience with 3D printing, it’s remains a daunting process to turn an idea into a physical object.
Imagine seeing one of the many great news stories about 3D Printing appearing daily across the web and deciding now is the time to go out and purchase your first 3D printer either online or from the many local retailers now carrying 3D Printers.
You’re excited because the power to turn an idea into a physical object is now in your home. You create your first design with one of the many free programs such as Sketchup, TinkerCAD or 123D or you download a design off Thingiverse.
Now you’re ready to just hit print and get your object right?
Unfortunately up until now the answer was a resounding no.
This may not have been the intended design
The current process means you then had to find a CAD to STL conversion program, send your converted file to a slicing platform, find the gcode file on your computer and send it to a design repair program such as NetFabb and then import it into your machine specific operating system where you’ll then need to download drivers to work specifically with your computer via USB connection. If you’re able to navigate that maze of clicking you then a. you are incredibly patient and b. you can finally send an object for printing. Now you have to configure temperature settings, make sure the print bed is level and hope your settings for the printer are correct. The machine whirs to life and for the next few hours you are glued to your printer to make sure no problems arise.
Enter 3DPrinterOS and the possibility of one click printing.
3DPrinterOS provides a universal platform for people to learn and experience 3D printing. It’s designed specifically to make 3D Printing easier for end users and instead of 20+ click workflows, we’re doing everything possible to make one click 3D Printing a reality.
For the Maker community and do-it-yourselfers the old way of 3D Printing may have been manageable but for widespread adoption of 3D Printing this process needs to be easier. In a world where 3D Printing liver cells and homes is a realistic possibility, we feel one click printing for your 3D printer is also a necessity.
3DPrinterOS means instead of having to learn machine specific operating systems there will be one single interface that can print to all of supported 3D printers. Through the cloud interface users will be able to access slicing, create workflows, use 3D apps, manage multiple 3D printers and even remote view print jobs from their iPad or mobile device.
Controlling 3D Printers from the cloud
This means a university who owns 30+ 3D printers can from one interface allow all their students to control the printers, queue up designs for later printing, view and control ongoing print jobs from their mobile phone (so they don’t have to sit and stare at an 8 hour print) and manage workflows for all of their different printers from the cloud.
3DPrinterOS will allow a father who is on business in New York to print something for his child on a 3D printer in London with ease and use remote viewing to make sure the print completed correctly.
It’s incredibly exciting how fast the 3D Printing world is growing but without a platform that’s able to communicate across printers, softwares and applications users are unable to truly enjoy and unleash the full potential of 3D Printing. Our goal is a platform compatible with the majority of design tools and 3D printers so dreamers, designers and first time makers can collaborate, communicate and create in a universal language for the first time.
We’re still not ready for widespread release of 3DPrinterOS but we’re closer now more than ever to making one click printing possible. We’re also incredibly thankful for the people who’ve contributed feedback during these past few months while we try to make 3D Printing secure and easy for the world. In the next few months, you’ll see continued support of new printers and the launch of Acorn, the first initial public release of 3DPrinterOS. We will also be at the upcoming 3D Printshow in London and AMPA 2014 in New York so please come say hello!
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