Comment by andyjsong | Hacker News Reader

Comment by andyjsong | Hacker News Reader

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> Regular 2D printing isn't something that's been easy for most people after 20 years of modern computing. It's a toss up whether or not software, hardware, or user error.. For that reason, I think 3D printing will be a hobbyist thing for another 5 years at least. The delta between a PandaBot and a high-quality MakerBot 2 with a good reputation is only about $1,000. Thats not much for a die-hard hobbyist, or rich geek wanting a new tech toy to fiddle with.

This a very interesting statement. Couple it with the news that HP will not be profitable till 2016, [1] why doesn't HP slap on an extra axis to their printers and make them extrude ABS instead of ink? Granted, they might not get the demand they want in the short term, but they are setting themselves up for something bigger later down the line. They have the infrastructure, distribution, know-how, and cash. What's stopping them from cornering the desktop 3D printing market?

[1] http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/10/hp-ceo-were-screwed-...

HP actually has IP around 3DP and until recently sold Stratasys machines under their private label. I say recently because it was shown that HP sucked at selling them and ceded its territory back to Stratasys.

Also - some companies (ZCorp / ProMetal) use HP print heads to deposit less viscous materials for powder bed 3D printers

So I went to the Stratasys site and saw that there entry level printer was $10k, would this be the equivalent of a Ferrari vs. a kit car conversion?

Why doesn't Stratasys make a Honda Civic of 3D printers?

From their perspective, $10K probably is the Honda Civic of 3D printers. They probably see all the low-cost stuff as "toys" that aren't usable for "real work". It's just the innovator's dilemma part infinity.

To Stratasys $10k is probably already the Honda Civic of 3D printers.

To go with an entirely different analogy, Stratasys is the old, lumbering baron of 3d printing. Conversely, RepRap, Makerbot, Ultimaker, MakerGear, Type A and now Panda Robotics are all the agile, new kids who were raised on a healthy diet of open source. Having invaded the Barons lands they are now zipping around rearranging the Baron's fiefdom at 100km/h and generally trying every way of doing everything all at once. My bet is firmly on the new guys, how they'll divide the spoils once Stratasys has been finally overwhelmed by all this chaos is the bit I'm curious about.

This comment will probably get some flack, but it sounds like they need to get bought out by a PE firm and go through a massive reorganization. Layoff all the top management brass, keep engineers that have a low-cost printer in their homes and hire someone like Bre to keep things lean.

Otherwise, they will watch their market share erode until one of the scrappy startup kids get enough bank to buy them out for pennies on the dollar.

Or more likely, a PE firm would saddle the company with debt to pay off the new owners' debts, lay off everybody with any know-how, make an inept attempt at reinventing the now low-morale company, then give up after a few years and go into bankruptcy selling it off for parts leaving a pile of bondholder and pension lawsuits behind while management moves on to their next glorious MBA adventure.

Yea, it's a good question about what Statasys' response will be, but in the near term they see, realistically, that much of their customer base never heard of the other FDM printers. They've got a sales force and install base, so I bet they're good for years to come. Still tho - they're mostly likely to be disrupted in the space.

Honestly, the editor of Modern Machine Shop hadn't heard of Make Magazine when I asked - the maker hobbyists and manufacturers have little overlap surprisingly.

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