
3-D Printing Is Spurring a Manufacturing Revolution - donohoe
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/technology/14print.html?src=twr
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snprbob86
I'm really excited for when piracy and IP debates beings to extend to the
physical world. It is going to be super entertaining to watch the DRM debacle
over my right to print objects.

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olegkikin
"You wouldn't download a car"

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wazoox
If I could download a car, I'd certainly do it because that would mean that
production cost is basically zero.

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michael_dorfman
Wait till you see what the toner cartridges are going to cost you.

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breckognize
One really cool startup in this space is cloudfab.com (AlphaLab '08). They're
a platform/market for the mass customization the article describes.

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steveklabnik
Thanks for the mention, Breck. :) If you didn't see this, a few days ago... I
think the 'email Shoefitr' note is still in my inbox:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1672993>

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joubert
One should hire one of the best 3-D printers, and with it, print your own 3-D
printer.

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fab13n
You sound like you're joking; some did it: <http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page>

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bobds
You can only print parts of a 3D printer.

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Zaak
So far.

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steveklabnik
Okay, lesson time: how does one end up getting their startup covered in
articles like this? Mine is in this space, and they even quoted someone that
knows us.

Is this kind of thing a random draw, or is there a way to boost your chances
with something like this? Help me level up, HN: I'm just a technical
cofounder, so taking care of this side of things isn't my day to day focus
right now, nor my expertise.

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snprbob86
I've never done it myself, but I'm currently participating in TechStars
seattle and have seen some mentors speak to this topic. The general consensus
on how to get into the press seems to be three key points: 1) Be an area
expert 2) Establish personal relationships 3) Leverage your expertise through
personal relationships

More concretely:

Do everything from conduct surveys and independent research, all the way to
writing articles that could more or less be published in whole or in part by a
target publication. These should be things that have compelling stories in
them and are about your industry and your desired press narrative, but not
necessarily about your company. Use this process to establish that you are an
area expert. Feed this to journalists. Make their jobs easier and make them
trust you as an area expert. Once you've built trust and provided value to a
journalist, you can ask them to provide value to you. Provide them more
article fodder and ensure that your company forms a part of the narrative.

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steveklabnik
Gotcha. Thanks for the detailed response. This won't be my only startup; I
figure that I'd better start taking notes on the other side of things now...

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sasvari
<http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10257/1087450-96.stm>

reprint of the article for those of us without a NYT login to avoid the
trouble of getting in.

