[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.13]this is the Technology Report.
[00:04.91]Imagine having an idea,
[00:07.40]drawing it on paper,
[00:08.90]bringing it to a store
[00:10.50]and seeing it turned into a physical object.
[00:14.08]This is now possible with the help of 3D printers.
[00:18.66]Such machines were once used just
[00:22.05]by universities and big companies,
[00:24.84]but now, stores with 3D printing services
[00:28.59]are appearing around the United States.
[00:31.78]Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened
[00:35.66]The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago.
[00:40.24]The store is filled with tools like a laser cutter,
[00:44.67]an industrial sewing machine and 3D printers.
[00:48.75]The Jaycoxs offer 3D printing classes and services
[00:53.68]for anyone who is interested.
[00:55.92]"I think 3D printing is going to be huge.
[00:58.11]It's going to make a huge impact on society as a whole."
[01:01.11]One of the students in a recent class was KiChong Tran.
[01:05.34]He plans to open a 3D print business in Cambodia.
[01:09.97]3D printing services are becoming available
[01:13.40]for American consumers.
[01:15.59]The UPS Store is a nationwide retailer
[01:19.07]that provides shipping, copying and other services.
[01:23.50]The UPS Store recently put 3D printers
[01:27.20]in three of its independently-owned stores.
[01:30.53]Burke Jones owns one of the stores in San Diego.
[01:34.57]"The demand has been amazing.
[01:37.11]It's been much more than I would have imagined."
[01:40.15]The UPS Store plans to add 3D printers in three more stores.
[01:46.37]For $11, Jonathan Netter used a 3D printer to produce
[01:52.04]two small plastic parts as part of a knuckle for a hand.
[01:56.48]He works for a medical device company,
[01:59.46]the company is testing finger prosthetics.
[02:04.06]He says the same-day or next-day printing services
[02:07.70]will speed up testing of parts
[02:10.09]and get the devices to patients faster.
[02:13.38]An office supply company, Staples is selling 3D printers
[02:18.20]on its website for as low as about $1,300.
[02:23.87]A cartridge of color plastic costs $50.
[02:27.90]As with any technology
[02:30.00]-- experts expect the printing speed and price to improve.
[02:34.53]Bryan Jaycox requires $15 an hour to print an object,
[02:40.45]he also charges a fee depending on the size of the object
[02:44.83]and up to $50 an hour for design and labor services.
[02:49.56]At The UPS Store, the cost of the object
[02:53.55]depends on the amount of materials used.
[02:56.43]The store charges up to $95 an hour
[03:00.41]to design the object with computer software
[03:03.80]that creates a digital file to guide the printer.
[03:07.79]Mr Jaycox predicts that within five years,
[03:11.47]3D printing technology could become more consumer friendly.
[03:16.51]But KiChong Tran says even current technology
[03:20.84]can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia.
[03:24.72]"With 3D printing you can give them tools,
[03:27.61]you put it in their hands
[03:28.86]so they are responsible more for their own development
[03:31.85]and they learn skills beyond just learning English
[03:35.33]and becoming a tour guide or something like that
[03:37.87]or working at a bank you can actually create things
[03:40.51]that give value to the world."
[03:42.65]He says it's not just Cambodia
[03:45.09]but anywhere where there is a 3D printer,
[03:47.93]it can turn a good idea -- into reality.
[03:51.36]And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English.