Just watched a fascinating and revealing Netflix documentary called “Print the Legend”…the inside goods on the 3D printer revolution…focusing mostly on MakerBot, but also on other companies. Of course, our own Glowforge was still a twinkle in Dan’s eye, but this film really gave some great insight into how startups and Kickstarter companies function, and gave to me, a complete novice in this area, some great things to think about. Part of this will resonate with all that Dan and his crew are up against and will probably enlighten some of ‘us who wait’. I know it did that for me.
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I saw that a while before Glowforge and had forgot about. I’ll have to give it another watch. It was an excellent movie!
Fascinating stuff. Bre and Max are friends, and I’ll say that while they have each made their share of mistakes (and would both say as much), the movie took some liberties in how they edited and events that do not reflect well on them.
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Oh…and one other facet of this film was the focus also on an anarchist, his printing of 3D weapons, and his run-in with the US government. Especially in light of so many recent mass shootings, this was particularly disturbing.
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Watching now…thanks!
I might also suggest Slingshot. I just finished watching at the suggestion of my parents and found it quite stimulating. It’s available on Netflix streaming as well.
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The printed gun and “selective word choices” to make Bre out as an unwitting bad guy I chalk up to trying to sensationalize for greater viewing numbers.
As long as you strip out the distortion lens it seems to have some interesting behind the scenes tidbits.
(Man, forums don’t like me lately. Second post I have noticed did not actually post)
I didn’t really get that take on the gun part. I did not view Bre as a bad guy…either wittingly or unwittingly. There’s always going to be someone who can take a good thing and make something bad with it.
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Had that show on a few months back in the background while working on another project in our kitchen. I got zero work done with a documentary on a topic I actually enjoy. Making things. I think there was also reality show on Makers someplace. (just wish they could show more making and less character drama) it was great to see a glimpse of what it would be like for a startup going from the ground up and to eventually have the leaders in the industry feel some competition from a startup.
I don’t remember a whole lot from the gun references, but I believe Cody Wilson was the guy in that political arena and maybe there was ties to Bre bringing additive technology to the masses.(Perhaps Dan could end up being known as the guy to bring subtractive lasering to the masses. I’m sure those other heavy hitting laser cutter manufacturers produce a great Product, but their pricing and marketing strategy doesn’t seem to target having a laser in every home. [maybe in about 30 years, I’ll find a way to allow people to manufacture and sell cars out of their own garage with just a few mouse clicks]) It’s possible this Cody Wilson doesn’t shy away from attention either since he knows that lawmakers are taking notice of digital fabrication in all forms. In the private sector, I recall reading about the MarkForged (carbon fiber) 3D printing company that refused to ship him a printer. When it comes to producing high strength parts, I’m a bit surprised that there isn’t more spotlight on subtractive tech vs. the additive tech.
Another word choice that I hear repeated around digital fabrication and news sites is the term “Disruptive”. It has the ring of something negative to it. But in reality, I know it is both good for some and bad for others. The word “Disruptive” may be said about Glowforge. To what extent I’m not sure. I just know that a few etsy shops will feel some collective heat from 10,000 glowforges in 2016. (This also means I’ll need to put a creative thinking cap on and not stick to engraved coasters.)
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