Startup Wants to Connect Thousands of 3D-printers in a Blockchain-based Network Hub

Kata Karath for CoinTelegraph:  It might have started simple, printing small objects, but in the last couple of years, 3D printing technology has really outgrown itself. Now, it is both possible to 3D print tiny structures using living cells or print a whole house in 24 hours. The idea behind 3D manufacturing isn’t new, but 3D-TOKEN, a project of the Italian Politronica Srl startup wants to integrate it with Blockchain technology to create a ‘one of a kind’ glocal decentralized Just-In-Time Factory 4.0 matching the digital revolution of the 21st century.

With steady growth, more than 278,000 desktops (under $5,000) 3D printers were available worldwide in 2015, according to the Wohlers Report 2016. The upcoming years will make these printers more and more affordable pointing towards a possible increase in demand. This is where the 3D-TOKENS project wants to tap in to create a Blockchain managed network hub of thousands of 3D-printers. The spin-off of the Italian University "Politecnico di Torino," Politronica Srl wants to bring small to medium scale just-in-time digital manufacturing via the 3D-TOKENS project to a whole new level.  Full Article:

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