Budget 3D printer now available in PHL market   

Digital manufacturing, the almost sci-fi process of creating objects from a digital model, has become increasingly affordable and accessible since the first 3D printer was created in 1984.

 

So accessible, in fact, that Filipinos can now buy a 3D printer from Cd-r King, the ubiquitous technology and gadgets provider that also sells CD-R discs, mobile phone chargers, and personal refrigerators, among others.

 

According to the Cd-r King website, their available 3D printer sells for P100,000 per unit. Aside from the price, and the announcement that it is a "new arrival", Cd-r King offers no details about their newest product.

 

MakerBot, a New York-based 3D printer manufacturer and seller, has been promoting digital manufacturing and offers tutorials to get more people to adopt the technology. Prices for its MakerBot Replicator 2 start at $2,199 while a more advanced MakerBot Replicator 2X sells from US$2,799.

 

According to an "Economist" article on digital manufacturing, 3D printers are able to create objects by replicating layers of a digitally-modelled object using powdered plastic or metal.

 

Additive manufacturing, as 3D printing is also called, has been used to make a prosthetic hand, clothes, and, in 2012, a replacement beak for a bald eagle who had been shot in the face. —Jonathan de Santos / KDM, GMA News