Apple-And-Microsoft-Computers

Next Big Idea: 3-D Printing on Paper

July 7, 2014
Mcor Technologies' 3-D printers use ordinary, everyday reams of office paper, stacked and printed in full, high-res color and cut into intricate 3-D shapes.

Unlike the trend in 3-D printing that uses a variety of materials, Mcor Technologies' printers use paper.  Ordinary, everyday reams of office paper, stacked and printed in full, high-res color and cut into intricate 3-D shapes.

That technique remains one of the most original and potentially disruptive systems in an industry defined by disruption.

IndustryWeek  talked with Mcor's co-founder and CEO, Conor MacCormack, to find out what makes this technology work and where it is going next. The first question was why paper?

We wanted to be completely opposite everybody else. We really wanted to upset the  status quo and build a machine that people wouldn't have to  worry about hitting print anymore.

So we said, let's build a machine that is almost free to run, plus one that used one of the most accessible material that anybody can get their hands on. Materials that they wouldn't have to wait for stock to come in. What could anybody get easily? Reams of paper.

More on Mcor’s 3-D printing on IndustryWeek.com

IndustryWeek is an NED companion site within Penton’s Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.

About the Author

Travis Hessman | VP of Content, Endeavor Business Media

Travis Hessman is the VP of Content for Endeavor Business Media. Previously, Travis was the Editor-in-Chief for Industry Week and New Equipment Digest as well as the Group Editorial Director for Endeavor's Manufacturing Group.

He began his career as an intern at IndustryWeek in 2001 and later served as IW's technology and innovation editor. Today, he combines his experience as an educator, a writer, and a journalist to help address some of the most significant challenges in the manufacturing industry, with a particular focus on leadership, training, and the technologies of smart manufacturing.