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"Although 3D printing has been around since the '80s, it only recently moved out of specialty prototyping shops. As the technology becomes more accessible \u2014 allowing anybody to design anything they want \u2014 it could revolutionize the way products are made and distributed.\n\"We think it will give rise to a creative commerce,\" said Shapeways CEO Peter Weijmarshausen on stage at Mashable Connect Friday.\nShapeways was one of the first companies to put a consumer spin on 3D printing. The startup's website allows designers to upload their wares for printing and sell the results in an Etsy-like store. Those without design experience can tweak existing models to their liking before printing them in one of 25 different materials, including stainless steel, ceramics and sterling silver. \nWeijmarshausen says the company printed 750,000 products in 2011. He expects \"many times more this year \u2014 millions.\"\nThe other company most often credited for the rise of the consumer 3D printing trend is MakerBot, which sells 3D printers for about $1,700.\nSo how does the trend toward 3D printing products, rather than just prototypes, change the world? \n\"Products will get better, quicker because you don't have stock that you have to sell,\" Weijmarshausen says. \"You can do new versions tomorrow. You can do version seven in a week. And that way, we will get products that are much more relevant to us.\"\n3D printing allows designers to iterate quickly and without risk, which means they can incorporate feedback immediately.\nInstead of getting a loan, paying a manufacturer, putting it through retail channels and hoping it sells, designers can make just as many units as they sell. If they have new ideas or feedback, they can incorporate them immediately instead of waiting until their latest version sells out.\nThe technology has already lowered the barrier to creating new products, but we're not quite ready to abandon mass production. For one thing, 3D printing is still a lot more expensive than buying a mass-produced item. A custom ring costs $40, a bracelet can be $100 and a small vase costs about $50. While those prices aren't at the most expensive end of their respective categories, they make printing large items impractical.\n\"It's lot of money for this vase,\" said Weijmarshausen, referring to the $50 model sitting on the podium. \"But at the same time, it\u2019s the only vase in the world that looks like this...As this technology becomes more and more popular, I think the cost will come down.\"\n\n\n\nMashable Connect 2012: Day 2\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLeslie Berland\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLeslie Berland\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Crowd Interacts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow Hiscox Made the \u2018Leap\u2019 Into Branded Entertainment\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlexander Ljung\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFriday Morning Speakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLawrence Lessig\nLawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law &amp; Leadership for Harvard Law School, talked about SOPA and PIPA's aftermath.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLawrence Lessig\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEngagement\nThe crowd is encouraged to ask questions to the panelists.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJune Cohen\nTED Executive Producer June Cohen talks about TED's content strategy at Mashable Connect.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPeter Weijmarshausen\nPeter Weijmarshausen, CEO of Shapeways, talked about, \"The Future of Stuff: The Rise of Creative Commerce\".\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Evolution of the Second Screen\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Evolution of the Second Screen\nThis panel features Randy Shiozaki, Co-founder of TVplus, Miguel Monteverde, Vice President of Digital Media for Discovery Communications, Scott Rosenberg, CEO and co-founder of Umami, and was moderated by Mashable Entertainment Editor Christina Warren.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJeff Ragovin\nJeff Ragovin, the co-founder and CSO of Buddy Media, talked about social media impacts shareholder value.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJeff Ragovin\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDermot McCormack\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDermot McCormack\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDermot McCormack\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDermot McCormack\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBreakout Sessions\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMashable Connect Sponsors\n\n\nBuddy Media is the social enterprise software of choice for eight of the world's top ten global advertisers, empowering them to build and maintain relationships with their consumers in a connections-based world. The Buddy Media social marketing suite helps brands build powerful connections globally with its scalable, secure architecture and data-driven customer insights from initial point of contact through point of purchase. For more information, visit http://www.buddymedia.com.\n\n\nAT&amp;T is bringing it all together for our customers, from revolutionary smartphones to next-generation TV services and sophisticated solutions for multi-national businesses. For more than a century, we have consistently provided innovative, reliable, high-quality products and services and excellent customer care. For more, visit http://www.att.com.\n\n\nBarnes &amp; Noble College Marketing (BNCM) helps brands thrive on campus. It is a division of Barnes &amp; Noble College Booksellers, LLC., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnes &amp; Noble, Inc. that operates more than 640 college bookstores across the country, serving more than 4.7 million students and faculty members. BNCM has the on-campus access and student understanding to deliver superior marketing programs for its brand partners. BNCM\u2019s capabilities include: experiential and event marketing; product sampling, sweepstakes and promotions; digital marketing (social, email, web); on-campus advertising and postering; and programs targeting freshmen, graduates, alumni and athletic event fans. Visit www.bncollegemarketing.com. \n\n\nHiscox specializes in tailored insurance coverage for a range of professional services firms in industries like IT, marketing, consulting and more. Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. has been protecting clients for over 100 years and is rated 'A' (Excellent) for financial strength by A.M. Best.\nWe offer professional liability insurance, general liability insurance and other policies direct, either online or over the phone, with customized coverage starting from just $22.50/month.\nVisit hiscoxusa.com/smallbiz for a fast, free quote now.\n\n\nWebtrends powers digital marketing success.  Webtrends is at the forefront of real-time digital marketing relevance and customer experience management through unified customer intelligence.  Our industry-leading analytics across mobile, social and web enables marketers to optimize campaigns, maximize customer lifetime value and deliver highly relevant digital brand experiences in real-time.\nWebtrends dramatically improves digital marketing results for more than 3,500 global brands including, in EMEA and internationally, Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, HSBC, ASOS, Orange, T-Mobile, Microsoft, BMW, Toyota, Play.com, AllSaints, The Telegraph, and many more.\nwww.webtrends.com\n\n\nDefinition 6 is a Unified Marketing Agency that creates brand experiences that unite brands and people in motion. Through imagination, innovation and insight, we execute ideas that deliver continued value across all brand interactions. For more information, please visit http://www.definition6.com.\n\n\nThe Adobe Digital Marketing Suite is an integrated set of applications which allow businesses to gather customer insight and optimize advertising, conversion and retention efforts as well as the creation and distribution of content. For example, using the Suite, marketers can identify the most effective marketing strategies and ad placements as well as create relevant, personalized and consistent customer experiences across digital marketing channels, such as onsite, display, e-mail, social, video and mobile. The Suite enables marketers to automatically adjust to customer interactions and better maximize marketing ROI, which leads to a positive impact the bottom line.\nhttp://www.adobe.com/solutions/digital-marketing.html\n\n\nThe leading resource for human resource and business leaders to explore and discuss the latest workforce and workplace trends including social innovation\u2014providing the in-depth research and insights needed to adapt and take advantage of what\u2019s next.   \nwww.shrm.org"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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