By: Nic Ward Able

Nic Ward Able — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 04:25:04 +0000

It is a fantastic article. And highlights the very real future of the unlimited capabilities with personal manufacturing – the beginnings of which are already underway, as designers/creators/inventors upload their designs to get them onto the market, or utilise the digital manufacturing hardware as a more financial (and envionmentally friendly) viable way of prototyping prior to offering their product to the greater public. And I fully believe that the future isn’t too far away where it will become part of a general household’s ‘tools’ much like the home printer/scanner is today. Ponoko is the first company to offer anyone the place to buy and sell digital products. We’re in closed beta testing at the moment, which has utilised 19 independent designers to test Ponoko, and highlight any hurdles we need to overcome before opening up Ponoko to everyone. We had a showcase night for our independant beta designers a week ago, there were 29 designs from our 19 designers, ranging from bike lights and tables, to jewellery and a chess set. See the blog here . Further to this, three of the designers have alrady started to sell their products overseas – not just to their friends and families! When someone asks ‘what will a person be able to design and build through Ponoko?”- I think – ‘how far does your imagination stretch’. As I believe that’s what design combined with digital manufacturing hardaware is going to give us – unlimited imagination, with no necessary requirement for a degree in design or engineering for the end product. It’s pretty exciting stuff – and Ponoko can’t wait for the next hurdle to jump over and see what’s on the other side! What we do encourage is for any present or budding designer, crafter, inventor or the like to log on and sign up for our open beta, which will happen in a few months! Register here . So they too can become part of this incredibly exciting future. Cheers, Nic Ponoko. http://www.ponoko.com

Comments on: Lawrence J. Rhoades on Desktop Manufacturing

By: Nic Ward Able