PortaLock - 3D Printing File Share

In Star Trek, Next Generation, everyone one the Enterprise could go to the nearest replicator and ask for food. The machine would fabricate to food on the spot, dish and all. While Geordi La Forge in the engineering room could struggled to repair the ship because he had to retrofit parts and patch the Enterprise back together. Why didn’t they install a bigger replicator on the engineering floor? It would make way more sense than having one in every bedroom.

Today the industry of 3D printing would have saved the Enterprise a dozen times over. The current technology to reproduce a part is accurate and available. For about $3000 you could have a 3D printer in your house. If you had the file, you could produce the replacement part you need for your cars retractable cup holder. If you had the file, you could make a battery cover for the TV remove. If you had the file, you could build that knob for the stove that broke during the great Spaghetti Meltdown of 2002. What an easy solution, if you had the file. The 3D printer industry wants to go residential, then the customers will need a way to obtain files.

Information flow for TV remote battery cover

 

The PortaLock is an ETI designed system for connecting households with the company supplied files they need. It would provide a location for participating companies to offer certain files to the public. These files would be standardized for a specific type of 3D printer. If you needed a remote battery cover, you could download the file for $2 and plug the file into your machine. This way the company still makes money without producing or shipping actual product. It also gives the company some slick customer information. PortaLock could also be a valuable resource to the innovative community that wishes to provide solid model files securely. If a factory needed a small part in order to keep a key machine operational, the Manufacturing Engineer could download the file and print one in a matter of hours. The production time saved would pay for the technology the first time used.

This is also a $1,000,000 Idea. It is widely acceptable that 3D printers will soon become common appliances. Every printer requires solid model files, and as of now there is not a good way to manage the file transfer process. Whatever company manages that first will own the industry.

The real fun part about this would be the innovators around the world that would file share their own inventions on this system. This would make PortaLock the central hub for all new concepts. I am idealistic enough to think that innovation is only limited by our ability to communicate. PortaLock will also be used by hobbyists. It is 100% guaranteed to have a full complement of SciFi action figures for anyone to build. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) might be the first file loaded.   

Until next time – Keep Inventing

Eric the Inventor