July 16, 2007

Downloadable Design

Treehugger points us toward a great new web service called Ponoko that’s allowing people lacking a complete workshop the ability to design and manufacture a customized piece of furniture. The New Zealand company is still in Beta, but is set to go live later this year. Once live, users will be able to digitally submit furniture designs and select materials on a central website - those designs will then be sent to a local Ponoko manufacturer to be constructed, eventually being shipped back to the users door step. The system also allows users to save their designs and sell them to other Ponoko users.
Treehugger comments:

It’s a great way to localize product manufacturing and cut down the distance and time (and carbon footprint) of everything that needs to get to you. Unfortunately, to this point, a lot of the downloadable designs have been pretty small and simple; because we’re limited to printing on a flat piece of paper, it’s tough to make something like a (full-size) chair or table.

Ponoko

[via Treehugger]

Article categories: Arts & Culture, Craft, Creative Class, Design, Environmental, Ethical Consumerism, Home & Garden, Local, User Generated Content