Happy Valentine’s Day! Oh no… forget to get your significant other a gift? No problem … you can just 3D print something at Staples! Well… not yet, but one day soon, you’ll be able to 3D print Valentine’s Day gifts or anything else you can save as a CAD/CAM file with “Staples Easy 3D.” It’s a brand new program that will pilot in Belgium and the Netherlands. 3D printers read special computer design files and print objects one layer at a time. The tech is sometimes referred to as additive manufacturing and it’s the same technology President Obama mentioned last night in his State of The Union Address. 3D printing has the power to significantly change manufacturing the same way laser printers changed the paper printing business. This seems like a natural for Staples and I can’t wait until it hits the United States. I want to go to Staples, print a 3D object and say, “That was easy.”
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.