Abundance Report: Solar 3D Printer Builds from Sand

July 13, 2011 · Posted in abundance, innovation · Comment 

Markus Kayser – Solar Sinter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Markus Kayser has built a 3D printer that uses sun light to turn sand into 3D glass objects. Free energy making things from the free materials.

He calls the device a Solar Sinter. The process works by spreading thin layers of sand then focusing a beam of light with a magnifying lens on a point to melt the sand turning it into glass. The object is built up a layer at a time. The movement and focusing of the beam is powered with photovoltaic but the high energy melting is done with a magnifying lens. This allows the device to be very low cost and potentially long lasting

A rover equipped with a solar sinter could be placed in deserts on earth or another planet and let run making useful objects. Even though this device makes crude items similar 3D printing technology has been used to make high precision objects of many materials.

In addition to a 3D printer, which is an additive technique, he has made a solar cutter which is a subtractive technique.

Markus Kayser – Sun Cutter Project from Markus Kayser on Vimeo.

Solar Cutter

Finding Gold in the Closet at the Detroit Economic Club

February 25, 2008 · Posted in economics, innovation, strategy · Comment 

Today when I attended the presentation by Gary Shapiro to the Detroit Economic Club I uncovered opportunities that were being overlooked. Mr. Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronic Association, encouraged Detroit to embrace free trade agreements and use innovation to meet the challenges of increasing competition. He was absolutely correct, however as so many others beating that drum, he failed to explain how to innovate. Many of the attendees left feeling even more pressure.

Oddly enough, everyone of the people I spoke to were using the same failing approach to competition and every single one was overlooking huge profits from using resources they already own. Profits from things they currently considered expenses.

Two companies I spoke with were trying to improve efficiency in hopes of lowering prices. The first was a tool and die company that was implementing 6 Sigma to find ways to improve process efficiencies. This is a good thing. I was one of the founders of using statistical process control (SPC) in the USA back in the 1980s. If the company was typical they could expect 10-30% improvements. This would make many managers very happy. But they were actually wasting their time and energy. They had 4 very expensive machines sitting idle. They were probably losing $400,000 per year in missed revenue. More importantly if they just made $1 more from those machines it would be INFINITE improvement in efficiency. They are currently getting zero efficiency. The machines are collecting dust and wasting space. Any money they make from those machines is infinite increase in efficiency.

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WCBN – Interactive Technology Interview – Part 2 of 2 – 2006 Dec 19

January 9, 2007 · Posted in abundance, economics, innovation · Comment 

Part 2 of a 2 part interview. I talked about abundance, ways for Detroit automobile industry to deal with China’s increasing manufacturing dominance, unemployment, how to make things free, information technology, new ways of looking at the world.

http://www.markproffitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/it12262006.mp3