3D- Printing
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3D-Printing is the act of making, from a three- dimension digital image, an actual physical object through materials that can melt and solidify within a short period of time. 3D printing had been in existence since 1983. Chuck Hull invented the first 3D printing process from what he called stereolithography (defined by successive printing thin layer of ultraviolet curable material one on top of another). The sales of 3D printers have since 2007 increased as the technology found use in modeling and industries.
3D-Printing loopholes
3D printers and or prints are largely unavailable to the public as it has been relegated to the industries because:
- The cost of purchase of a 3D printer is high. And because of this, getting a 3D print is also very costly thus unavailable.
- 3D printing had not yet found application in the day-to-day activities of men beyond modeling and other industrial use because of minimal understanding of how the technology works as many still see it as a futuristic invention.
- Because 3D printers are scanty, customers who need 3D prints needs to send their digital files over the internet to the location of the manufacturing machine which is mostly very long distances. The files sent are mostly very confidential as any leak in the information or file sent can be disastrous to the company sending them. Because of the security of the security of the internet today as we know it, industries are faced with risks of getting these files into the hands of those who wish to use these files for their own gain at the expense of the owners. Thus the security of the intellectual properties of the owners is on the line.
All of these and many others are the frustrations of 3D- Printing enthusiasts and machine owners who find it difficult to get a great market for their products.
Freelabster
Freelabster came into the scene to help connect experts or enthusiasts in 3D-printing to their potential clients. Freelabster provides an extended market for experts (individuals and corporates) in 3D-printing to do business and profit. Through Freelabster 3d-printing has been more accessible to the public and it has ever since then found more application in many other sectors than it was first thought. Freelaster has 10, 000 3D printers linked on their platform with over 3000 printing experts. Consumers are protected on Freelabster through secure payments and customer satisfaction policy.
Because Freelabster is still a centralized platform (though it has expanded beyond borders starting from Nice in France, expanding all the way to the UK, Italian and Spanish Markets), it is still limited in terms of time for all involved players and international demand for services. This can only be solved through a decentralized ecosystem, unbounded with rules of payments of different countries. The founders of Freelabster formed Productivist to break border limitations, reduce time and expense for all players involved.
Productivist
Create an open data stream whereby private companies of any scale and individuals can help power the Industrial Revolution 4.0. Productivist’s Blockchain Project aims to innovate the way we currently work, creating a new standard for smart manufacturing production. Thanks to the Blockchain, our open eco-system will manage the manufacturing 4.0 chain of command, decentralizing the production.
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Productivist ensures the safeguarding of file transfers against hijackers since it will now be on the blockchain which is decentralized. The manufacturing machine is connected to the blockchain through the productivist systems so that each step of the printing is monitored.
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The Productivist ecosystem has a device which helps to connect the 3D – printer to the blockchain. The device connects the printer directly to the client through the Productivist systems which help in selecting a suitable printer from all connected printers around the world. When the client sends a job to be printed, the Productivist systems helps him search for any available printers considering other factors like location, previous ratings etc. When the printer is selected, the connecting device notifies the manufacturing machine owner. Through the device, the printing process is monitored and after it is finished the device allows the shipping label QR to be scanned for safe delivery and claims. The Productivist ensures that the owner of the machine is paid and the consumer is secured (as in payments are escrowed on the platform to ensure customer satisfaction policy are protected). Freelabster will be included on the platform with over 10, 000 3D- Printers and over 3000 printing experts.
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Productivist also allows 3D printing demands to be distributed among machines which are connected to cut waiting times, unnecessary queues and work overloads on the machine.
Other advantages of the Productivist platform are:
- Transactions are un-hackable since it will be on the blockchain.
- They use anonymity to protect the identity and intellectual property through the blockchain technology.
- Through the Productivist connecting device, manufacturing machine owners do not have access to the sent files thus protecting the clients.
- There is a scoring system for manufacturers to assure or minimize risks on the customer part.
Token
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The tokens are used for payments and to reward manufacturers when they register on the platform.
For further information on Productivist, you can read:
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