121–130 of 281 posts
I'm one of those in the camp "No, but I want!" Any killer applications for this so far?
IMHO 3d-printing is way overrated. We already have CNC machines that are reliable, faster, cheaper and more capable than 3d-printers, in that they can cheaply "print" in hard materials like metal with much better resolution. What are the advantages of 3d-printers? (except than being slightly more clean)
There are shapes you can achieve in 3D printing that you can't with CNC machines. Waste material is a significant problem if you were to have a machine on your desk or your living room. Another advantage is that 3D printers actually have a community around it and people pushing its boundaries, as well as new companies forming in the space to push the tech forward. That's bound to make it better--or at the very least,…
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I'd put them firmly in the same stage that computers were back when you had people in their garages soldering together homebrew computers.
I don't agree. The main obstacle for computers was cost and size, which naturally scale down as technology improves. Applications were already everywhere even decades ago. 3D printing on the other hand fundamentally has difficulty delivering many things people want it to do, and the things it actually can do are fairly niche. Mainly prototyping, to my knowledge. If 3D printers could already print forged steel or 14nm…
It is hard right now (for me) to justify the cost - just like I assume it was hard for my parents to justify the cost of an Apple ][+. But I am very glad they bought that luxury geek gadget when I was a kid, because it helped shape who I am today.
I don't know if 3D printing will be analogous to an Apple ][+ in terms of impact for my kids - probably not. But it can be hard to see if it will, when it is in its infancy. I wonder if I would have been fascinated with computers if I was a kid now, because they are so polished in so many ways. The Apple ][ (and our subsequent 286) were so... rough... and accessible, that it was all the more intriguing for a young curious tinkerer.
I think there is no doubt that the current hobby 3D printers are rough, and a bit unpolished (in a good way). (That may change some with Formlabs Form1, though... it looks pretty polished and slick).
Someone else always owned a printer and I just used it (Kinkos, library, work, school).
I would hope it would be the same with a 3D printer. I don't want to have one. I don't want to buy ink or parts or worry about it or have it obsoleted in 2 years time.
But if I want something 3D printed, I certainly hope that there will be stores nearby with high quality printers that are far better than the median at-home printer.
Edit: I should mention that MakeIt Labs[1] (hackerspace) in my little New Hampshire city already has a Replicator 2.
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The price/performance of 3D printers is improving very quickly. We're visiting Hong Kong + Shenzhen now and met with Makible who are focused on making low-cost 3D printers. Makibox will be sold as a kit for $200 later this year. http://www.hackthings.com/meet-the-most-affordable-3d-printe...
Word on the street in the reprap channel is that Makibox can't happen at that price.
I'm excited by the potential of 3D printers but they aren't quite at the price/convenience/quality intersection I'm waiting for. I'd pay current prices for machines (the relatively consumer-level ones that are like $500-2000) that are faster and produce better output without having to do acetone-based "post-processing". I'd pay less than current prices for the current tech just to dick around with, but I don't want t…
What would you do with a 3d printer in your house? For manufacturing and business use, it kind of makes sense to me. But personal use? After you print off a few cups and toy soldier molds, what would you want to do with a 3d printer?
I could even see custom modeling my own miniatures for other games, either tabletop RPGs like D&D or wargames like Warhammer or any of the others.