Houston, we have a solution! Domestic 3D printing has arrived

How do you feel about a steaming hot pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, delivered to you straight from the print room? You read that correctly, the future of printing is about to get pretty psychedelic with the advent of the domestic three dimensional printer.

Mark Pestkowski, the owner of the 3D Printing Superstore in Collingwood is passionate about the technology.

“In the not too distant future, every industry will in some way, shape or form be using this technology – fashion, food, you name it,” he said.

As a passionate food enthusiast, I couldn’t think of anything worse than the components of my pizza being squeezed through a tube but I can certainly see the benefits – imagine the pastry creations you could make with one of these machines set up in your kitchen. And don’t even get me started with printed chocolate, which is already in use in some businesses.

3D printing is not a new technology, having been used industrially since the 1980s – architecture (all those cool models you see of new apartment blocks? yep) car manufacturing, industrial design; the list goes on. But it was only a few years ago that the machines became available for domestic use. The printers work by layering materials – plastics, metals and such – into a desired shape. The design is created using CAD software such as Thingiverse.

“Imagine printing your own shoes to match an outfit – or printing the whole outfit!” he said. Let the mind boggling commence.

On display at the 3D Printer Superstore are printed bike chains, shifting spanners, very realistic skulls – you name it. But just how popular is the service? Mark has recently printed lifelike wedding cake toppers and replicated rare ceramic dioramas of a town in Germany. He has also had a chap come in and asked to have a full chess set made with figures modeled on his own scanned face and body, which should be an essential household item for us all.

According to Mark, we could soon be printing out mobile phones. When a new model hits the market, you’d buy the license and design from the telco and print out your new spiffy phone. The prospect of not queuing on Bourke Street in the freezing cold has to generate sales for domestic printers, surely?

The question had to be asked: what about printed guns?

“You can go into any hardware store or supermarket and leave with a potential weapon, the focus on printing weaponry is really redundant in that respect,” Mark said.

The printing process itself currently takes a long time (the bangle pictured here took approximately two hours) and bigger pieces can take days to print. The 3D Printing Superstore will consider just about every request and offer consultative, design and printing services. Or for well under a thousand bucks you could be printing your own creations (a tram perhaps?). The feminist in me wants to install a 3D printer in Cinderella’s carriage. Make your own shoe, girl!

3D Printer Superstore
0405 226 197
95 Johnston St Collingwood
Monday – Friday, 10am - 6pm
3dprintersuperstore.com.au