May 31, 2019
The author is a patent attorney who helps clients with inventions, startups, and advice on crowdfunding sites, and currently also advises investors and investment companies in patent and trademark related matters including valuation. The author has over 28 years experience in advising companies in patents and trademarks. For further information, please email at ZMIKE.IP@gmail.com.
I have a very big question, and I hope and believe some of the readers will have the answer. If so, please let me know.
I was surprised a few days ago to watch a 3D printer, which was using metal wire to make a complex solid metal object in real time. The surprise was because I was there to see something else, but this held my interest. The metal object was then cooled, polished, and finished.
Later, I saw a second, identical metal object, or so I thought. I was asked if I could tell which one had just been made, and which was from a large bin of such objects that were purchased from a manufacturer. After a little effort, I couldn't guess, but it leads me to a few questions as follows.
Can the printer make other objects, using other commercially valuable metals? The engineer smiled and made a free-hand sculpture using a light aluminum-like metal. He switched the wire feed to a different color material, somewhat darker, and entered changes to the controller, and made another free-hand sculpture.
I had more questions: how many different kinds of metal can they use? What about stainless steel? Or, high tech alloys? How accurate? The answers would have to wait for another day.
I wonder is there are high-value uses for such a metal printer, perhaps something related to vehicles or flight. Despite my own experiences working with manufacturers and machine shops, I'm not aware of many exotic or high value uses.
And that is the really big question. What will such a 3D metal printer make? Are there truly high value uses? What parts make it work and have patent value? What would be the value of such an invention and its patents? Those are questions with no answers.
Read more >> http://internationalpatentservice.com/3D-Metal-Printer-End-User-Patent-Value.html
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