Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's definitely not a bad time to join 3d printing industry. Much more mature than what it was even 5+ yrs ago
What’s a good use for them? I have been on the cusp of buying or building one for many years, but outside of the occasional desire to 3D print a random replacement or enhancement part for something, such as a new back for my minidisc player, which I can do via mail order 3D printing, all the examples at say Microcenter are just admittedly neat-looking but ultimately useless chintzy plastic goods.
NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
101–110 of 138 posts
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#102I should buy a 3D printer. At university I knew a man who said any time the government wanted to make something illegal to buy he felt a compulsion to buy it. I think I see what he means now.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#103That amendment is so overly broad the author should be forced to re-take some sort of how to draft bills class. It would require fingerprinting for purchases of "certain 3D printers". What does that even mean? I guess the existing law defined what "firearm" means in the context of that law, but if I was a retailer selling 3D printers, I would have some serious questions about it. My 5-year-old entry level 3D printer…
I also think the law is bad. I do want to point out that if you want to make durable parts with a 3D printer, the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal. Then case harden. That's the cheap and fairly easy way. I just want to point that out because I think that use case of 3D printers gets overlooked. Or you buy a fairly expensive…
This is definitely not true for parts that need to be closely toleranced. Lost-PLA casting, DIY mold-making, etc are manufacturing processes not world-renowned for their ability to keep things precise.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#104Please, dear God, don't anyone tell them about sand-casting... Explanation for non-mechs: Make a shape out of wood with a chisel, push it into sand to make a void, melt Alu in a glorified BBQ, pour into sand to make a perfect replica of the wooden template. You can turn out 100 high quality "mechanical parts" in alloyed metal in the same time it takes to 3D print one in PLA.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
I also think the law is bad. I do want to point out that if you want to make durable parts with a 3D printer, the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal. Then case harden. That's the cheap and fairly easy way. I just want to point that out because I think that use case of 3D printers gets overlooked. Or you buy a fairly expensive…
> the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal This is definitely not true for parts that need to be closely toleranced. Lost-PLA casting, DIY mold-making, etc are manufacturing processes not world-renowned for their ability to keep things precise.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the easiest thing to do would be to create the part with the printer, then use it to form a mold for casting the part out of metal This is definitely not true for parts that need to be closely toleranced. Lost-PLA casting, DIY mold-making, etc are manufacturing processes not world-renowned for their ability to keep things precise.
Yeah, most parts in simple designs do not need to be super precise. Some hand fitting might be necessary.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, most parts in simple designs do not need to be super precise. Some hand fitting might be necessary.
This is in the context of firearms, which are presumably modern repeating firearms, where they will cease to function if the tolerances are wrong.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#108That amendment is so overly broad the author should be forced to re-take some sort of how to draft bills class. It would require fingerprinting for purchases of "certain 3D printers". What does that even mean? I guess the existing law defined what "firearm" means in the context of that law, but if I was a retailer selling 3D printers, I would have some serious questions about it. My 5-year-old entry level 3D printer…
It's so tiring to have these kinds of conversations with folks who do not understand the legislative process. There's no need to treat the legislator like an idiot. She's doing what EVERY legislator does, which is to identify a problem ("printed guns are a loophole in how we manage guns in this state") and saying she wants to find a solution to that problem. One mechanism by which legislators do that is by writing dr…
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's definitely not a bad time to join 3d printing industry. Much more mature than what it was even 5+ yrs ago
What’s a good use for them? I have been on the cusp of buying or building one for many years, but outside of the occasional desire to 3D print a random replacement or enhancement part for something, such as a new back for my minidisc player, which I can do via mail order 3D printing, all the examples at say Microcenter are just admittedly neat-looking but ultimately useless chintzy plastic goods.
The first real thing I printed was a case for holding camera batteries to prevent them from just rolling around in my luggage. It was in PETG and it felt super high quality, and not chintzy as all.
I'm currently holding a 3NM torque wrench, where the handle and torque mechanism was 3d printed, and it feels like something you want to use on a day to day basis. It's smooth and feels good in the hand.
The chintzy probably comes from low density printing/ low quality materials. I've printed out parts that were carbon fiber infused PLA and PETG and just look and feel absolutely awesome.
Re: NY bill would require a criminal history check for the purchase of a 3D printer
#110What next, they'll ban transporting 3D printers across state borders and have the cops go around knocking down doors hunting for unlicensed 3D printers? Otherwise people would just buy them interstate.
You can actually go all the way to the prohibition era and create the printer yourself, the designs are free.