3D Systems' ZPrinters Are Great Despite Limitations

3DSystems' ZPrinters are lauded for their full color and high-speed 3-D printing technology. While there's no question that the printers are an excellent fit for architectural models and prototypes, some investors wonder whether or not this material-jetting technology is the beginning of a new wave of desktop consumer 3-D printers. Based on comments from 3-D printer inventor David Hartkop, investors shouldn't get their hopes up.

Is material-jetting technology the foundation for a new wave of consumer printers?
It was a "historic, game-changing event" for 3D Systems. 3D Systems gained "complementary full color and high speed printing technology," said 3D Systems' CEO Abe Reichental when the company acquired Z Corp on Jan. 3 2012. He was right: The material jetting in Z Corp's ZPrinters is one of the most mature 3-D printing technologies in the market. But it has its limitations.

Thanks to material-jetting technology, ZPrinters can print in beautiful high resolution. This makes the printers often a first choice in industries that need detailed models and prototypes -- like architecture. But do they have potential as consumer printers? In an interview with David Hartkop, the creator of the world's first desktop 3-D printer for metal, I asked him about whether or not material-jetting technology could be a good fit for the next generation of consumer printers. Here is what he had to say.

As Hartkop explains, there are advantages to the material-jetting technology used in ZPrinters, but when it comes to physical products to use in the home, the technology doesn't look ready.

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The article 3D Systems' ZPrinters Are Great Despite Limitations originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Daniel Sparks has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends 3D Systems. The Motley Fool owns shares of 3D Systems and has the following options: 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.

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