3D printing may be one of the most tranformative technologies of the early twenty-first century. The cheap manufacture of all kinds of good in the home, or at least on a local level, has all kinds of possible applications and it could fundamentally change the way parts of the economy function. The problem is getting the revolution started. That’s what 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) appears to be concentrating its efforts on right now.
According to a press release from the leading maker of 3D printers, the company will be bringing its technology to the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. The festival is set to take place from April 26-27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:D) is using the event to push 3D printing at the educator level.
3D Systems shows its educational chops
The 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) booth at the Science and Engineering Festival will show off some of the company’s educational endeavors. Some of those products are of prime importance to the company over the long term.
The firm has several products it is particularly keen to attract the attention of educators to, including the Touch mouse, that’s designed specifically for 3D sculpting, the 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) Cube 3D printers, which 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) is trying to popularize in the classroom and the home, and Blokify, a game-like 3 design environment.
The firm already offers “special discounted bundles and free curriculums and resources to schools and independent educational programs,” according to today’s press release. Driving what the company calls “digital literacy” is as important for the company in the long term as endeavors like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) Project Ara are in the medium term.
3D printing in school could ignite demand
A generation of people brought up with some knowledge of the workings of a 3D printer, and some expectation of one’s availability, is exactly what 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) and other companies in the industry need to drive the local manufacturing boom that it needs to change the way it does business.
As we have seen time and time again from surveys about Bitcoin and other tech phenomena, not everybody reads The Verge. Few people know what 3D printing really means or what the technology can be used for. With its suite of products 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) seeks to change that.
If it manages to educate the public about its product it will greatly increase the addressable market. 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) is a growing concern, but in order to reach the potential its investors have imagined it will need to sell a huge amount of its printers over the next decade. A 100X multiple isn’t all that easy to justify, but 3D Systems will have to do just that, or risk losing value.
