SEAN TINER

Laguna Beach's historic Main Beach Lifeguard Tower in 3D The moment arrived! I received my first 3D design ed work of art: Laguna Beach's Main Beach Lifeguard Tower! It's exciting to see an idea take life and move through the various phases of development, from concept to design to production. The artwork is assembled in 3 pieces (tower, base, and boardwalk cover). It's dimensions are 4.89 w x 6.498 d x 5.408 h. I used alumide to create the sculpture, which can support the heat from a small candle. If you are interested in seeing the 3D model of the artwork, click here .

From investing to creating unparalleled designs, the opportunities with 3D printing continue to amaze me. Companies such as 3D Systems Corporation (DDD) and and Stratasys, Ltd (SSYS) have handsomely returned over 160% and 620% gains respectively to stockholders in the past year. The market caps of these companies range from 3-4 billion and will continue to increase as the demand for their technology increases. Other companies, such as Shapeways have provided a new source of revenue for designers, artisans and creative thinkers. Similar to individuals downloading a music track from iTunes and the musician receiving a royalty, artists can upload their designs to Shapeways and receive a commission every time an individual purchases or "prints" their product.   As 3D printers start to find their way into Staples and other mainstream outlets, we can no longer ignore the presence of this new technology. Everyday people can now create, design and print their own creations or ...