3-D Printing News You Need to Know: Expiring Patents and New Tech

The 3-D printing space has certainly garnered its fair share of media attention over the past year due to a multitude of factors, but one surely has been the rising use of personal 3-D printers by hobbyists. This increasing use can largely be attributed to the expiration of patents on the technology used in those printers, which is leading to a rapid onslaught of entrepreneurs creating their own hobbyist 3-D printers for resale. As history shows, patent expiration can frequently lead to periods of rapid innovation. In this video, Motley Fool analyst Blake Bos covers some very important patents expiring in 2014. Watch the video below, and also check out this very innovative new 3-D printing technology featured at Rapid Ready Technology.

With the U.S. relying on the rest of the world for such a large percentage of our goods, many investors are ready for the end of the "made in China" era. Well, it may be here. Read all about the biggest industry disrupters since the personal computer in "3 Stocks for the New Industrial Revolution". Just click here to learn more.

The article 3-D Printing News You Need to Know: Expiring Patents and New Tech originally appeared on Fool.com.

Blake Bos has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends 3D Systems and Stratasys. The Motley Fool owns shares of 3D Systems, General Electric Company, and Stratasys and has the following options: short January 2014 $36 calls on 3D Systems and short January 2014 $20 puts on 3D Systems. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.