The dreams and visions of science fiction materialising anything out of holographic projections are clearly a long way away, but technology is providing aspects of that already, albeit in limited ways.
For decades, you’ve been able to print images, materialising memories in a flat picture made from ink, and for over a decade, Australians have been able to print physical products, as well. Plastic is the main material, but depending on how rich your blood is and how big of a printer you owned or simply had access to, other materials were possibly, too.
We’ve even seen a food printer at least once before.
There are even ways to print on fabric, making it easier to create stuff for that side hustle, though most of the time you might turn to a transfer system. Think of that t-shirt you always wanted to print, but had to turn to Red Bubble or something like it, or a tote bag, phone case, and so on.
Making your own “stuff” is typically a case of using another service, but printers for that “stuff” are beginning to materialise, as well.
A recent arrival designed to print on more materials is on the way in the xTool O1 Omni, likely named because of just how many approaches to materials it will cover. It’s less about 3D printing and more about material printing, covering cotton, polyester, leather, canvas, and even wood and acrylic.
While businesses are the likely approach here, hobbyists playing with that side hustle will also likely be curious, and could end up with more accurate results. That’s thanks in part to the system including a scanner and automatic 3D modelling to ensure that what is printed to the design matches the product in the end. There are even textures you can print with.
If the concept of printing design and texture sounds a bit foreign to you, don’t worry, you’re not alone. But you’d also need to be comfortable with the price, with the xTool O1 Omni hitting Australia shortly from $3499 for the basic model, while a version that covers a variety of fabrics and physically hard surfaces like wood and plastic will cost $4999.
