3D printer

Very interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw

 

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A friend who renders 3D graphics for a well know games designer has one,... it is cool, but the models are pretty frail once they are made, and require setting with glue afterwards.

 

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My wife got to work with those. She says they print using a polymer...

She also points out that if you can print your own circuit boards and car parts...it's going to cause massive economic upheaval.

Hmm...wonder how you'd make one to print in metals...

 

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Old news. You can buy a kit to make your own home 3D printer for about £1,000.
CAD packages have had an .stl (stereolithography = the "proper" name for 3D printing) output option for around ten years.
There's even a service on the 'net for getting your own designs done, all you do is send them a suitable drawing (in an acceptable format) and they'll "print" your component.

@ Chimpkin: AFAIK there's no way of printing structurally sound components yet (car parts), they're all either a polymer or, in some cases, paper mache. But I doubt that it's far off given that we also have metal deposition technology in other fields.

 

Was saying use a solid feed, melt it with a laser at the tip.

 

There is the MakerBot 3-D Printer that's geared towards the beginner,a stepping stone of sorts.Also you can go to You Tube and search MakerBot for several videos.Looks like a lot of fun.

http://store.makerbot.com/


MakerBot introduction YT video:

http://faircompanies.com/videos/view/libertarian-tech-why-we-could-all-be-tinkerers/

 

SLA modeling is a fairly mature process for professionals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolithography

The new thing is systems payable for the hobby user. Currently, as I understand it, and as some already mentioned, they have their limits.

The advent of additive processes for circuit boards has been announced for decades now, but it seems to constantly lack behind the development of conventional methods.

Likewise with various other components; while SLA-like techniques are useful for prototyping, they cannot match more conventional methods for mass production in terms of price, speed, and precision.

Hans

 

Yes, this is pretty old news by now, but people still seem amazed by it. The company I work for has dozens of these machines, they are notoriously unreliable. But the technology is promising. You can print in metal too. It's a metal powder with a plastic binder. You bake the binder out while infiltrating the green form with melted copper, forming a copper/stainless alloy.

 

I first saw a prototype for this in 1992-1993 when they were seeking funding. It's nice to see they've advanced significantly.

 

aoho.............
it souds good 3d printer.Excellent video, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing a little research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that.awesome video.

 

Welcome to Sciforums, tignerj---.

 

There is a novel out now called "Rule 34" which is partly about the future of 3D printers, where black market "fabbers" will be able to use 3D printers that print in multiple materials to print things like portable meth labs in a box, or high value car parts...

 

A biological 3D printers been on the R&D drawing board for a while, after all imagine printing custom body components or replacement limbs, it's not a million miles away from being done.

 

They have already used 3D printing technology to create an artificial esophagus...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...lant-worlds-stem-cell-windpipe-grown-lab.html