Earlier quoted context omitted.
Completely agree. I was involved with a startup in the 3D printing space, and the gap between what 3D printing is capable of and what people think it will be able to do is just enormous. I think the more interesting stuff is voxel printing and some of the advanced machining technology that's being developed.
What is voxel printing?
How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
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Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
Completely agree. I was involved with a startup in the 3D printing space, and the gap between what 3D printing is capable of and what people think it will be able to do is just enormous. I think the more interesting stuff is voxel printing and some of the advanced machining technology that's being developed.
What is voxel printing?
Think Minecraft on a nano scale.
Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree that as of today 3D printers can't replace almost any commercial manufacturing technique. I think the article was meant for excitement about what may be coming soon. Most of the comments here sound a lot like what photographers said about digital cameras in the early 90's - low quality, poor resolution, expensive. Do you see 3d printing being able to improve in the near future to the point of being useful to…
For what I do today, nothing on the horizon as of today could replace the bulk of our work. I work on industrial stuff where almost everything is metal. We do almost exclusively low volume work so the rapid prototyping is key to our design process, but very little of what we do can be done in plastics of any kind. And I think that extends to a lot of industries. Certainly if you are designing a new phone and you want…
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Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#24I've seen this column written about a thousand times. I just don't think any of the authors have really worked with a 3D printer hands on. I'm a mechanical engineer designing products on a daily basis. We have a (really good) 3D printer and pump out amazing models all the time. Our's uses a fairly strong plastic and allows for things like moving linkages and very fine detail. The models are an amazing aid to communic…
These 3D printers are only really a manufacturing revolution to people pumping out plastic (or weak powdered metal) products in low volumes (
I think this is exactly the use case I am most excited for. Everyone can print their own objects (shared and personalized). Maybe even in their own house like desktop printing or, for more expensive equipment, just downtown like a Kinko's. Everyone can download, modify, and make unique objects with very little turnaround time and no minimum quantity.
Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#25Shoes seemed like a bad example of what could be made with 3D printing. Even with advances in the current technology it would seem difficult to make something as flexible as shoe leather.
The same is true of clothing, curtains, etc.
It does seem reasonable to go after Ikea: break something on your dresser or desk? Use your own fabricator to print a replacement or get one tomorrow from Kinko's (or the equivalent)
Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#26I've seen this column written about a thousand times. I just don't think any of the authors have really worked with a 3D printer hands on. I'm a mechanical engineer designing products on a daily basis. We have a (really good) 3D printer and pump out amazing models all the time. Our's uses a fairly strong plastic and allows for things like moving linkages and very fine detail. The models are an amazing aid to communic…
I must respectfully disagree. I take your central argument to be: "3D printers won't ultimately change our manufacturing process." I take your main points to be: 1. The materials are weak and thus unsuitable for most products and 2. The efficiencies of scale of traditional manufacturing trump 3D printers in runs above 1k units. Today your first point is true, however I use 3D printed parts as structural components in…
"Everyone in the world with a fabber could download and print the new product ... at the same time. No centralized manufacturing and distribution network could match that."
So what happens when everyone is torrenting the fabber file on the launch date? Now you're pirating physical things over the net, not just data.
Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#27I've seen this column written about a thousand times. I just don't think any of the authors have really worked with a 3D printer hands on. I'm a mechanical engineer designing products on a daily basis. We have a (really good) 3D printer and pump out amazing models all the time. Our's uses a fairly strong plastic and allows for things like moving linkages and very fine detail. The models are an amazing aid to communic…
Why not use 3-d printers to make blanks for castings and molds, and maybe streamline building jigs? I don't know anything about the field, really, so there may be a simple and obvious answer, but I would be curious about it.
Re: How a new manufacturing technology will change the world
#28I've seen this column written about a thousand times. I just don't think any of the authors have really worked with a 3D printer hands on. I'm a mechanical engineer designing products on a daily basis. We have a (really good) 3D printer and pump out amazing models all the time. Our's uses a fairly strong plastic and allows for things like moving linkages and very fine detail. The models are an amazing aid to communic…
I must respectfully disagree. I take your central argument to be: "3D printers won't ultimately change our manufacturing process." I take your main points to be: 1. The materials are weak and thus unsuitable for most products and 2. The efficiencies of scale of traditional manufacturing trump 3D printers in runs above 1k units. Today your first point is true, however I use 3D printed parts as structural components in…
"imagine a world where an Apple product launch means access to a new fabber file. Everyone in the world with a fabber could download and print the new product ... at the same time. "
I can't imagine an Apple product that can be printed. Maybe you could print a plastic copy of the enclosure for the product, but what you'd have in your hand is a essentially a plastic design prototype. Which 3D printers are great for. But how would you print the PCB, copper traces, pcb components, battery, lcd display...etc.