How to Explain 3D Printing in 30 Seconds

3DPMontage3
3DP in 30 Seconds (unforgiving video stills version)

On Feb. 10, shortly after arriving in NYC for the 3D PrintShow to cover the fashion and art, I headed to CNBC’s Englewood, NJ studios for a taping of a 30 second segment on 3D Printing. This was part of a new online format called “30 Seconds to Know“, which breaks down a complex technical topic in 30 seconds.

My Nervous System custom Kinematics necklace “27624” gets a brief cameo.

It was a pleasant experience, but brutal in terms of content coverage, as the 30 second time limit was strictly enforced. I had to collapse the entire world of professional additive manufacturing to desktop 3D printing into half a minute. We did a lot of editing on the fly and this CNBC video is the result.

Although it glosses over all the details, I think it came out well. I focused on the parts of the process that occur with any type of printer and any method of printing: take a 3D model, slice it into layers, print it.

There’s something beautiful about extreme simplicity.

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Anna Kaziunas France is interested practical digital fabrication focused project documentation (anything that turns codes into things), as well as adventures in synthetic biology, biohacking, personal genomics and programmable materials.

She's currently working on the forthcoming book "Design for CNC: Practical Joinery Techniques, Projects, and Tips for CNC-routed Furniture".

She’s also the Academic Dean of the global Fab Academy program, the co-author of Getting Started with MakerBot and compiled the Make: 3D Printing book.

Formerly, she worked as an editor for Make: Books, was digital fabrication editor and skill builder section editor for Make: Magazine, and directed Make:'s 2015 and 2014 3D Printer Shootout testing events.

She likes things that are computer-controlled, parametric, and open— preferably all three.

Find her on her personal site, Twitter and Facebook.

View more articles by Anna Kaziunas France

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