News and Market

The stock market today has been persistent since the crash of a few stocks like VJET and AMAVF. Yet they have returned to a steady pace back to higher share prices with the candlestick graphs providing evidence of this.
Therefore we look into what cool new things have branched from 3D printing lately. There has been buzz about how companies in the medical field will be able to manufacture, or should I saw print a working replaceable heart in as little as 10 years. I mean if your not a bio-medical engineer you most likely can't comprehend all the science behind it. Disregard the science and leave it to them because the ability to print a human heart would be life changing, literally save lives.

More information: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-11/21/3d-printed-whole-heart

3D Sell Out

Share holders began to feel nervous seeing their shares in prominent companies like SSYS, DDD, AMAVF and VJET plummet Tuesday and Wednesday. Though the shareholders like myself didn't get to worrisome due to the fact that the companies were and still currently are striving.
That being said it was inevitable that the stock price bounced back to a high price again. The stocks performed just like that and most likely we will see new highs on friday and definitely Monday morning. As for VJET I will wait and see until tomorrow and give my opinion.

Voxelijet who?

Things in the start barely got shaken for Voxelijet when it never went below its IPO of $19.10. Now shareholders are basking in the glory now as the stock has reached new highs this afternoon of nearly $70. Of course there is a reason for this, since Voxelijet reported a revenue increase of 86% thursday afternoon thus the stock skyrocketed.
Where I believe the stock is headed, an educated guess would be that it has no reason to return back down below 50$ with the great finical reports it has been releasing. An additive would be that the 3d printing industry is acting unstoppable at the moment too.

The Focus Is The Companies

Lately posts have not really been about the products of 3D printing but of how well the companies have been performing. If anyone out there has taken note of the stock picks of Stratasys and Voxelijet and depending on how much you invested, either way you made some quick money. Even if you didn't invest in these, how about 3D systems or Arcam AB, both have sky rocketed. Why?
Well each week all these big companies are doing something new, whether if its with McDonalds using 3D printers to make their happy meal toys or making real sized robots for a transformer movie. So where the money is believed to be is in the prosthetic industry for prosthetic human parts. I think if a company is able to patent a flawlessly designed prosthetic part or parts it could be game changing. Consider the bill for a prosthetic, around 20,000$, unreal and way to much money. Roughly 25$ to make someone a fully functional hand would be revolutionary.
So each day companies are making strides and doing these incredible things which no other company no matter what it is hasn't really compared to, whats the next big thing... its already here.

Stratasys's Upswing

This morning Sratasys released its Q3 earnings in their meeting streamed for the public and it out beat the forecasts of analysts. So this is what happened, the company increased its 2013 revenue guidance to $470M-$490M from $455M-$480M. This guidance report reports an estimation of the company's future earnings this can have a major influence on overstock ratings and investors decisions to buy, hold, or sell the security. With all other positive earnings reported Sratasys CEO in the conference call noted that things over in China are doing well and are projected to be even better. Looks like a good day and future for shareholders with new highs of roughly 122$ so far today.

New Highs

Stratasys and 3D Systems have been moving along strongly since their Q2 earning reports. That being said both of the companies have been on a steady track upwards in relevance to their stock price. How big of highs have they had?
Well 3D systems hit 70$ a share today when roughly a week ago the share price was a mere 53 dollars. Chances are the price won't dwindle down to 53$ again, because why would the company lose investors when its blatantly succeeding, the answer is it wont.
As for Stratasys who has boosted to a new high of 120$ a share today which made shareholders like me happy. The reason is not because of the new high, because that could change quickly, its because it is unlike the other 3D companies. For example 3D Systems stock price was unrattled by the foreshadowed good Q3 earnings. Now for Stratasys it is well off even before the release of the Q3 earnings which is at 8:30 on Thursday, which is also expected to be good news for shareholders.

Form Labs

I posted earlier about the MakerBot and the Cube X being the real two competitive printers another one has entered the 3D printing game. Form Labs uses it laser technology and competes directly with the two printing companies. This most likely will not effect Stratasys and 3D Systems whom use MakerBot and Cube X but  possibly in the long run.

The coolest part about the Form Labs company is that the released a quite breathtaking video of the average consumer....

Introducing the Form 1 from Formlabs on Vimeo.

3rd Quarterly Earnings Reports

About that time for the 3rd quarterly earnings reports to come out. For some 3D printing companies a targeted time is be November 7th, and is highly anticipated by investors. If we can see the companies that we own shares in release information that show that the company is earning revenue and has increase in sales we know that the company is continuing a to be strong and prosperous. 
Already posted earnings from 3D Systems (DDD); DDD matched views with a 24% rise in Q3 earnings. Sales rose 50%, beating the sought out views. Also now growth is on track to keep accelerating for hopefully 3 straight quarters now. The company lowered its full year profit outlook yet raised its sales guidance. This boosted share price to nearly 60$ and showed its true potential.
 Look out for Stratasys now as their shares will most definitely raise in price once their earning are released which should entail at least 13% rise in Q3 earnings. 

Moving Along, But For Long?

If you have been keeping up with the blog you've noticed the buzz over Voxelijet (VJET). Well today it kept chugging along hitting a high of 39.75$ and returned back to 35.43$, still a 6 dollar increase on the day which made investors happy.
Yet on the other side of the ball I don't see it going anywhere much past 40$ right about now. Why? Well, because I dont think the company deserves to have their shares to be worth that much. Voxelijet reported revenue just in the last quater last year for the first time and now are having some net gains. Yet companies like XOne who have a strong cliental seem to be struggling. The thing that has me wondering is who owns these huge amounts of shares and what is their plan...Once again time will tell and we will see, I may sell out tomorrow morning.

2 day graph 

It Has Arrived!

Weekly buzz has been going on about Voxelijet and it has finally hit the market this morning at 10:00 AM. Quick money was made as it surged double the price of what it opened from 13$ to 27$. I missed the opening I had and watched thousands of shares be bought out quickly. Yet I managed to get my hands on some at roughly 23.23$ a share.
So where is this German based company headed? Hopefully it takes me to the promise land, but to do that it, it will need to out beat its competitors, Sratasys, XOne, and 3D Printing Corp. The thing that makes these top 3D printing companies well off is their diversity it sales. Each company sells different things to different companies which allows them to flourish.

A 3D Printer Made From E-Waste

A 3D printer created in no other than Africa by a resourceful 33 year old inventor Kodjo Afate Gnikou from the West African Tojo. He created this 3D printer for roughly 100 dollars. To add more greatness to his accomplishment he salvaged mostly everything from junkyards himself. His main intent is to send his creation and future creations to Mars for colonization. I applaud him for his ambition as an inventor, also this shows the simplicity we have to obtain these circuits and softwares in America and even create our own 3D printers.

Rant: Put this into perspective that comprehending a simple circuit board is pretty simple, yet I think an illusion has been made that understanding these electronics is hard. Hopefully we can integrate these learnings into our high schools in the future rather than spending 4 years learning about the revolutionary war and history. 

Expansion In China

A few weeks ago, Stratasys signed an agreement with The Aurora Group, China's largest electronics and office supply retailer. This is momentous due to the fact that in the first place its China we are talking about. When you think about Chinese manufacturing you usually think cheep and cost effective, and this is exactly what Stratasys wants. Hopefully more details and information will emerge soon!

Guns or Realistic Matters?

The ability to 3D print a gun is possible and will most definitely have controversy, and until some extreme cases of controversy arise I will not address anything about them. Therefore this post will adress the ability to print organs! In my opinion the science and the ability to save lives is much more significant and interesting.
3D printing has been used to print organs from a patient’s own cells. This means that patients may no longer have to wait a long time for donors in the future. In the past, hospitals implanted structures into patients made by hands that were costly and time constraining. 3D printing has drastically improved this process which is quick yet less simple. An extreme amount of complexity goes into 3D printing a specific organ a more in depth and thorough description can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/3d-printed-organs_n_3983971.html#slide=786551

3D Hygiene

      Called the Blizzident, it is essentially a custom-made toothbrush that’s perfectly formed to the shape of your teeth. You go to your dentist, get a 3D scan of your mouth, and then upload the model to the Blizzident website. The company uses a 3D printer to create an inverse mold of your mouth, and then attaches “soft, ultrafine bristles” to the mold to turn it into a toothbrush. It is estimated to take roughly 6 seconds to get a 'perfect' brush, damn holy time saver! If you're like me I see flossing and brushing as an annoying but a must do thing and this seems awesome.
      A fair price in my eyes of 300$ you can purchase one dependent if your dentist supports them which seems to be rare at the moment and hopefully will become a more of an option. With an annual replacement costing 160$ also things may get a  little pricey but i'd call it worth it.





How it works:

Cube vs MakerBot

   The way the leading 3D printing companies make their product is in fact different. 3D Systems, 'Cube' and Stratasys  'MakerBot' are both different pieces of technology, yet perform the same job. 3D Systems, 'Cube' produces mostly square items and is sold in Microsoft stores and is hoping to reach some homes for sales in the holiday season. Then there is the 'MakerBot' used by Stratasys which produces more non-linear objects, yet you have to be willing to pay. Both of these products are sold in large malls in which inhibit tech-savvy stores.
     So now having the ability to sell 3D printers for home use rather than having the company itself manufacture or rather print products can hopefully boost the companies to more success.

New 3D Printing Company

   Starting a new company is difficult and requires valued knowledge. They say now a days that you have a better chance of robbing a bank than starting your own business. When a company earns exposure, people and competitors take note. The company Voxelijet from Europe is now one of Europe's largest service centers for printed models, related to metallic castings.
    This is a big deal because Voxelijet is finally going public to investors, entering the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) for $100 million. I reccomend this to any future buyers who are not interested in buying into more expensive shares like Stratasys, listed at $100.75 today. Hopefully when the stock goes public we can see shares at roughly 25 dollars a share.
     When do we see Voxelijet going public? Within the next month or so considering they recently announced to the public that they will be listed under the ticker VJET. With upsides nearing 70% in the first quater within being public I project, I will definitely invest.

Where is the future of 3D Printing heading?

   Many of you might've not even heard of 3D printing, if this is the first time it most definitely won't be the last. 3D printing will be tangible for people in their own homes most likely in 2020, weird right? Print a coat hanger, a plate, maybe even dinner, things grow and advance technically daily and the things that you can print will continue to amaze you.

    So where is the technology headed into the future you ask, well I believe it won't necessarily replace factories producing small gadgets that are very quick to produce but to more technical and expensive items. A NASA rocket powered engine was made in a third of the time and a large chunk of change was saved using the 3D printer. If a rocket engine was produced you can only fathom the types of things that can be made. Therefore the future of 3D printing has a glamorous future.