3D printers intended and priced for the home user are now
available. These printers in conjunction with websites such as MakerBot's Thingiverse
allow individuals to download and print physical objects in much
the same way that music could be downloaded and burned to CDs in
the 1990s. And, like the downloading of music, no doubt its
popularity will rise rapidly as the technology improves, comes down
in price and moves into new and unexpected directions.
In its
Intellectual Property Report 2014, IP Australia (aka the
Australian Patent Office) plots the development of additive
manufacturing technology from its early days in the 1980s (see
pages 27 and 28). The timeline refers to the following patent
documents hyperlinked for the interested reader: US4575330, US5121329,
US7209797,
US2012/0201960.
