If the concept of build-your-own-smartphone takes off, Motorola will be on the vanguard. An agreement with 3D Systems means a system will be in place for actual production of the modules Project Ara developers design.
For tinkerers, this means endless customization possibilities. For those concerned about electronic waste, it means the opportunity to upgrade rather than replace.
Following on from the launch of its Moto X in August, Motorola Mobility is taking the concept of building smartphones to order to the next level through a partnership with 3D Systems. The company is "looking for some edge in the market. You've got to have something different to attract people away from the big brands,"
3D Systems makes 3D printers and software scanners and builds parts on demand. It also offers the Cubify platform, which lets consumers undertake 3D printing. Under the agreement, 3D Systems will create a continuous, high-speed 3D printing production platform and fulfillment system to support Motorola's Project Ara, which is developing a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones.
Motorola and 3D Systems this summer partnered on the MakeWithMoto campaign, Motorola sent a van equipped with 3D systems, 3D printers and hacking tools to college campuses and Maker Faires to let people customize Motorola smartphones into their dream devices.
What 3D Systems Will Do
"This agreement is to set up the world's first smartphone production line that is driven by 3D printers.
In addition to building a high-speed production platform, 3D Systems will substantially expand its printing capabilities to include conductive and functional materials. 3D systems will combine additive printing and subtractive manufacturing methods.
The difference?
Additive manufacturing is the norm in 3D printing, where a three-dimensional solid object is made from a digital model by laying down successive layers of liquid, powder, paper or sheet material. Subtractive manufacturing is the process used in machining and carving, where raw material is rendered into an object of a desired shape and size by a controlled process of material removal. 3D Systems will make 3D-printed Ara smartphone enclosures and modules exclusively for Motorola.
A module can be anything from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard to an extra battery or something not yet imagined.
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