3D Printers have taken over the San Diego Convention Center downtown as part of the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo. The Expo brings together the latest innovations in 3D printer technology to 1,000 attendees.
Event organizer Matthew Finlay said San Diego is the perfect place for the conference.
“San Diego is obviously a hotbed of innovation with a number of startups in the space, including 3D printing and related fields,” Finlay said. “There’s a strong medical base here, and additive manufacturing is a great new technology for doing things in the medical field.”
One of the exhibitors, GoEngineer, has an office in San Diego. They sell high-end 3D printers that range from $10,000 to $500,000. Account manager Devon Phillipson says they customize everything from cars to prosthetics.
“With 3D printing, customization is free. With traditional manufacturing, you’re sort of committed to a tool,” Phillipson said. “With 3D printing, you can change design at any time because you’re not committed to some expensive tool.”
Phillipson said that customized prosthetics are some of the most life-changing uses for 3D printers.
“With what’s been going on with our military for a long time, there are a lot of people in need of arms, legs, and they can customize these,” Phillipson said. “There’s a little boy I saw that, he got a prosthetic that looks like iron man.”
Nearby, a scanner was displaying an image of Phillipson’s face, while a 3D printer was creating his likeness out of plastic.
“Maybe I’ll put it up on my Christmas Tree as an ornament, maybe put a little Santa beard on it.”
Other exhibitors were showing off 3D-printed fillings for your teeth, tools, toys and decorative pieces, sunglasses and shoe soles. Some showed off different colorful materials being developed for use in the printers. There was even a handheld 3D printing pen.
The Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo runs through Tuesday.
