GE Garage Offers Hands-On 3D Printing

I have no real idea how many of you good people who read the blog have ever directly interacted with a 3D printer. I suspect some of you are just interested in seeing what additive manufacturing has to offer, or send off orders to 3D printers and see the results, rather than the process. If the idea of working directly with a 3D printer interests you, GE has announced a program that should be right up your alley.

As part of its GE Works campaign, the company has rolled out a program it calls GE Garage. Beginning on March 9, 2012 at South by Southwest (SXSW), the GE Garage program will allow people a chance to interact with MakerBot’s Replicator 3D printer, a CNC mill, laser cutter, MIG welder, injection molder, cold saw and an ironworker. All under expert supervision, naturally.

GE hopes to drum up interest in manufacturing by exposing people to a number of different high tech procedures. People can use the equipment for free, and can even come with something specific in mind. For those without some sort of project they’d like to work on, GE Garage will offer quickie demonstrations.

The GE Garage was designed by Sub Rosa, and is part of collaborative effort that involves the community teaching marketplace Skillshare, manufacturing developers TechShop, Quirky, Inventables and Make. A number of the companies involved will also have staff on hand to discuss manufacturing.

If you don’t plan on attending SXSW, have no fear. The GE Garage will remain in Austin until March 18, before moving to Houston and San Francisco. Later this summer or early fall, the Garage will move again to permanent residency in Houston and Cincinnati.

If you are interested in attending SXSW (just for the tech demo, no doubt) check out the video below for an overview of what to expect.

Sources: GE, Mashable