If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

Nokia’s magic may have waned for a while when Apple began introducing the iPhone, but the Finnish company knows just when it’s time to bounce back with some noise. Take for example the launching of its Lumia phone series and very recently the 3D-printing Development Kit for Lumia 820 users.

Better known as 3DK, the kit is a collection of 3D templates, case specs, recommended materials and best practices that Lumia 820 owners can use to print their own mobile phone cases.

The Lumia 820, released in the third quarter of 2012, features a removable shell case which users can change with their desired color using Nokia’s 3DK.

The release of 3DK makes Nokia the “first major phone company to begin embracing the 3D printing community,” according to John Kneeland, a Nokia Community & Developer Marketing Manager based in Silicon Valley.

With the continuing improvement of 3D printing, it seems that 3DK isn’t going to be the first and the last time Nokia is going to use the technology.

“In the future, I envision wildly more modular and customizable phones.” Kneeland added. “Perhaps in addition to our own beautifully-designed phones, we could sell some kind of phone template, and entrepreneurs the world over could build a local business on building phones precisely tailored to the needs of his or her local community. You want a waterproof, glow-in-the-dark phone with a bottle-opener and a solar charger? Someone can build it for you—or you can print it yourself!”

To create the cases, the user must have a 3D printer. Somehow this could run a challenge because 3D printers are not cheap. MakerBot’s Replicator 2 sells for $2,199 — definitely, not a reasonable amount for an average consumer. There’s Portabee’s more affordable 3D printer for only $480, though it can only print objects around the size of a coffee mug.

Despite this challenge, Nokia is confident it’s venture in the 3D printing world is just the beginning of a better, more flexible mobile phone experience for its clients.