Tell You What Technology Can Do

The two 3D models you see above are made from office paper. The one on the right cost $1 in parts to produce. The one on the left, just 37¢. They were spat out by a new 3D printer called the Matrix, from British company Mcor.

The principle is elegantly simple. The printer takes standard sheets of printer paper (A4 size) and deposits regular old PVA glue in a pattern determined by the design. Another sheet of paper is added, and a tungsten carbide blade cuts away the excess paper, like Michelangelo freeing a sculpture from a block of marble. In theory, a laser could be used, but Mcor chose a blade to keep costs down.

The machine should be available soon, but the price of the units is undecided. Whatever they cost, though, the inverted business model of the company is refreshing. Instead of the scam operated by the 2D printer industry, where the printer is almost free but the ink costs more than unicorn sweat, the Matrix runs on glue and paper, two cheap commodity items. Even a hefty up-front investment will appear cheap after enough time.

Two words: Do Want. This thing is awesome, and I'm going to use it to make fake iPhones and sell them down at the market. I imagine that some people might find other less practical uses for it, too.