Microsoft Corporation Adds Wrinkle To Its Free 3D Printing App

Microsoft Corporation MSFT added a wrinkle to its free 3D printing app this week in a collaboration with 3D Systems Corporation DDD.

The app, first launched in November, is designed to enable consumers to print from a fixed library of objects that include small toys, holiday-themed sculptures and other gadgets with a number of customized options.

But until now users of the app who wanted those objects needed to own a 3D printer, consumer versions of which are available for less than $1,000.

Through its collaboration with 3D Systems, users who lack a printer can now place an order through the Microsoft app to be delivered through the mail within two weeks.

The new version also broadens materials available from plastic to include metal and ceramics and adds a new category of trophy 3D models.

When the app first launched, TechCrunch writer Alex Wilhelm said it could be a winning move for Microsoft in the next five years, "But for now, you can probably only make little lumpen dinosaurs for your kid."