Major media increasingly notice the possible change, which 3d printing might bring when it will be developed into an affordable technology capable of working with multiple materials. “A factory on your desk” is an article on Economist.com, which not only introduces the major players in the game, such as Z-Corp, but also gives a hint on the history as well as the future of additive digital manufacturing. 3D systems, a company which marketed world’s first stereolithography machine already back in 1986, is mentioned there right next to the potential shift from “rapid prototyping” towards “rapid manufacturing”. Even though the article does not provide enthusiasts of the topic with a new perspective, it is a very good introduction for those who are not familiar with notions such as Bruce Sterling’s “spime”.

I have accessed the article through Geometry Gym.