I was chatting with an acquaintance the other day combining my twin passions of modelling & technology! He mentioned how 3D printing was coming on leaps & bounds and how it would find its way into the home before too long. Having seen for myself at CES 13 in Vegas (the massive annual consumer electronics show) & in TV reports from CES 14, it's clear this area is one to watch.
Are they any views how this would impact on the accessorises/after-market market for modelling?
The clever bit will be doing the design work on CAD and then selling the files as downloads that can be 'printed' remotely. Perhaps your 'Local Model Shop' (if you have one!) would be able to justify investing in a printer, which would also help bring people to the store. No mucking around with casting - just 'print' on demand. No stock holding.
From what I understand the detailing is pretty good nowadays, the materials pretty workable and you can even 'print' now in different colours.
Thoughts?