3D打印工厂Shapeways实地探秘

 魏玛肖森指出，3D打印技术发展道路上的几个重要的“拦路虎”已经清除了。3D打印机一度是“极为昂贵”的设备，而且需要高度专门化的软件，而现在它们变得更便宜，也更容易上手了。下一步则是3D打印技术的相关性了，而这种相关性要“来自人们关心的伟大故事”。（毕竟一个20边形的骰子就算再漂亮、再新颖，从实用性上看，它也不过就是一个20边形的骰子而已。）

    随着公司的成长，Shapeways公司必须要克服卡米所说的“空白页”的问题——虽然顾客们说他们最喜欢独特的东西了，但这并不意味着他们会花很多时间或精力去获得它们。而且有些鼓励个性化的产品（比如去年摩托罗拉的Moto X智能手机）也未必总能获得成功，哪怕市面上可选的产品并不多。

    为了解决这个问题，Shapeways公司已经推出了几款网络应用来刺激人们的创意。其中有一款应用可以把设计草图变成3D模型，还有一款应用可以帮助用户DIY一个戒指或一套酒具，更厉害的设计师还可以用它设计一个工具箱等等。Shapeways公司还与Adobe公司达成了一项合作，用户可以直接向Shapeways公司上传Photoshop设计图。

    魏玛肖森说：“现在大家都比所谓的‘大品牌’更有创意。以后再也不需要迎合大众口味的千篇一律的设计了。”

    这是一个很好的目标，但是在现实中很难实现。设计师柯斯蒂卡•斯帕合在Shapeways上销售产品已经好几年了，他设计了一套超现实主义的咖啡杯，还与人共同设计了一种“仿生鞋”，外型的灵感来自于鸟的头骨。但是他在Shapeways上卖得最好的产品当属一款非常“有杀气”的食蚁兽小雕像，这个小雕像在网上很火。他说：“由于它已经很火了，所以很多人都知道它。”

    他还补充说：“我不是坐在家里自己想该制作些什么，而是到Reddit网站上，问人们想要什么。”这样他制造出了很多匪夷所思的创新产品，比如一个可以夹在桌角上的小投石机。“很荒唐，但这就是他们想要的东西。”

    斯帕合停顿了一下说：“我也想制造一些漂亮、性感的产品卖，比如杯子和鞋，但是它们就是卖不动。”（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎

Weijmarshausen says that the technology has already cleared several barriers to adoption. 3-D printers were once "horrendously expensive" and required highly specialized software; they are more accessible now. The next step is relevance, he says, which "comes from great stories that people care about." (Because while a 20-sided die may be inventive, it's still as practical as, well, a 20-sided die.)

As it grows, Shapeways has to conquer what Carmy calls the "blank page" problem: Just because customers say they want unique things most doesn't mean they will devote much time or effort to acquire them. And products that encourage personalization, like last year's Moto X smartphone, don't always succeed even when the options are far more limited.

To address this, Shapeways has introduced several web apps to facilitate creativity. With one program, users can turn a drawing into a 3-D bauble. Shapeways has also released apps to let users customize a ring or sake set, as well as a toolbox for more sophisticated designers. Shapeways also announced a partnership with Adobe that lets users upload and manufacture Photoshop creations.

"Everyone is more creative than what we call 'big brands' today," Weijmarshausen says. "No more lowest common denominator."

It's a fine goal, but difficult to achieve in practice. Kostika Spaho, a designer who has sold products on Shapeways for several years, has designed a line of otherworldly coffee cups and co-designed a "biomimicry shoe" inspired by the shape of a bird's skull. But his best-selling products on Shapeways are based on Internet memes. His No. 1 product, he says, is this obstreporous anteater, "Due to the fact that it's already popular and a lot of people know of it."

"Instead of thinking of what products I should make, I go to Reddit and ask people what they want," he says. This has led to such innovations as a desktop catapult that clamps to the corner of the desk. "It's so ridiculous, but this is what they want."

Spaho pauses. "I would like to make sexy, beautiful products like the cups and the shoes," he says. "But they don't sell."