Would there be enough available printing media to economical reproduce, say, a first-lady’s caboose? Stunt men could use it to fall on out of buildings
Would there be enough available printing media to economically reproduce, say, a first-lady’s caboose? Stunt men could use it to fall on out of buildings
Even at 67, the new project and new technology fascinates. I will be availing of it for a second invention as soon as I have the final protos in developers' hands. As to printing at home? ... The Objet Connex is well over $100,000, and that is perhaps state of the art yet not accessible for typical middle class homes.
3-D Printer ping!
“they have revolutionized the lives of many jewelers and dentists”
I got a Cerac restoration, instead of a crown, for a molar that cracked off. The process was amazing and only took an hour.
I ordered a 3D Printer last Monday.
I’m already good at drawing in 3D, it only took me 12 minutes to draw up my first part, a potato chip clamp. But I have to wait 6 weeks for delivery.
I agree with this article, but there is one angle that is important that they don’t mention. Cheap 3d printers, and cheap milling machines, bring manufacturing to a home level that previously was not available. Which means it is ok for kids to learn on these tools. Even encountering the limitations of the materials and machines helps kids learn how to make things better. By the time they are out of school, many of them will be as highly skilled as someone who has been in the industry many years.
I question the liability aspect of this. If you replicate a product and it fails causing injury... who is liable? The maker of the replicator or the original manufacturer? Courtroom nightmares ahead...
I do know understand the point he is trying to make however about people not understanding the limitations of the 3D printing process. I do remember the excitement I felt when a friend of mine first showed me products he was able to produce on a $60,000 machine he purchased several years ago. I thought it was absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, he misjudged the market and lost his shirt, he had to sell nearly everything he owned and eventually declared bankruptcy.
I come from a manufacturing background. For many years I ran a small lumber re-manufacturing business. We made mostly siding, paneling, flooring, and other specialty products. As an example of how the wood re-manufacturing business worked we could run our customer's wood through certain machines at 120 feet per minute and get paid approximately 2 cents per lineal foot. That comes out to $2.40 per minute or $144 per hour while the machine is running.
It sounds pretty good, but there is a lot more downtime than anyone ever figures. The machine is frequently idled while product is moved to and from it, and there are frequent break downs and constant maintenance and sharpening or changing of blades that must be performed. My point is that you hardly ever make even half how one might think that it should pencil out. With a newer technology people tend to overestimate how much they will be able to produce to an even greater extent. This kind of unrealistic expectation is what caused my friend to fail at his new business.
He already had a business that he was making a decent living at, but when he tried to expand into this new area, he was unable to make it work the way he thought. I think he actually was swindled by the people who sold him the machinery. He was dazzled by the products that could be produced. Unfortunately, even if he could have successfully marketed the output, the amount of production necessary to make a profit was far beyond his capabilities.
Ping
Saw a blurb on uncrate yesterday for an inexpensive 3D printer pen. I works just like a 3D printer except you draw the object of your desire freehand, laying down a layer at a time. The promoters seem to think it'll revolutionize 3D printing. But I kind of doubt it. If most people are like me, they can't draw worth a hoot in 2-space, much less 3-space.