3d printers

[chayton]

Has anyone had a chance to play with one of these yet? I've been watching with interest over the last few months since I've heard about them and they're already improving. Obviously they're bound to get better within a year or two, but they're already really cool. It's like Star Trek, I'd want one to print me a cup of coffee I could actually drink!

 

[vinylweatherman]

I am thinking of getting one.

Back in the 1990's, I used to tease my nieces and nephew when they asked for stuff by saying "I'll print one off for you". I pretended to have access to a "3D printer" that could print off a paddling pool, so rather than buying one that lasted a week or two before it got punctured, I would say I would download one and print it off.


If I get one, I will try the same trick when they visit, but as they sit there laughing their heads off that I can't fool them with this one now they are in their 20's, I will whip off the cover and print off a smartphone case before their eyes, saying "I told you so when you were little, but you never believed me".

Sadly, they are not yet big enough to print off a paddling pool.

They are down to around £1000 now, even cheaper in kit form. The 3D "ink" isn't cheap either, up to £40 a spool.

 

[conker]

These are really cool, I couldn't work out what I would use it for though

 

[Jinn]

I just read an article about a new 3D printer that will let you recycle any random bits of plastic you have in your house, now that's a good idea!

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[premiergaming]

Imagine what could be done with big versions of them. Never mind a plastic one im sure an industrial one could be invented using metal!

 

[Mousey]

These are really cool, I couldn't work out what I would use it for though

Theives and hackers have already figured it out.... they make their own ATM card slots and credit card machines....

 

[chayton]

I saw one where a guy had made his own using an old IBM electric arm thingie so that it wasn't constrained by size. I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to buy one yet unless you have lots of money to waste. Like most technology, it's quite expensive now (a company I worked for bought one of the very first digital cameras - 3.1 megapixel and it cost them $12K! Now it's a museum piece) and maybe not as good as it will be in a year or two. Already there have been huge improvements in the quality and speed since I first heard about them a few months back.

There's one company that's got a printer that they've used to print records that actually play on a standard turntable, but from what I read, the sound quality isn't that great. But still...

I wouldn't know what to use it for either. But I suppose if you did any 3-D or engineering or architecture on the computer it would be really useful. Even prototyping an invention or something like that.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I saw one where a guy had made his own using an old IBM electric arm thingie so that it wasn't constrained by size. I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to buy one yet unless you have lots of money to waste. Like most technology, it's quite expensive now (a company I worked for bought one of the very first digital cameras - 3.1 megapixel and it cost them $12K! Now it's a museum piece) and maybe not as good as it will be in a year or two. Already there have been huge improvements in the quality and speed since I first heard about them a few months back.

There's one company that's got a printer that they've used to print records that actually play on a standard turntable, but from what I read, the sound quality isn't that great. But still...

I wouldn't know what to use it for either. But I suppose if you did any 3-D or engineering or architecture on the computer it would be really useful. Even prototyping an invention or something like that.

I think this was the intention. Currently we have many buyers treating them as the latest novelty toy. This may evolve into them being used to produce things that are needed around the house.

An even bigger thing seems to be the desktop recycler. In the UK, a great deal of plastic is NOT recycled by the council schemes, and ends up in landfill. If instead it was fed into the Filabot and turned into printing filament, it could be turned into something different, even useful, instead of ending up as landfill.

Useful products might include phone cases made at home, and provided no trademarks were used, these could even be sold at market stalls and ebay. This might not be cost effective with the costly filament now on sale, but may well be if any old plastic could be recycled.

One could even print replacement plastic parts for stuff around the house, things that are not normally available as spares from the manufacturer, or that cost a fortune if they are.

Buying one now as a "toy" may be useful in years to come as it will give the user a head start when the real uses become apparent.

I expect some retailers are keeping a close eye on developments, especially the Filabot, as it could mean a drop in sales of their "plastic tat" ranges.

 

[incrediblestuff]

I have a dream.....

I will not expose it but can divulge it would make drug trafficking a lot easier and cyber-sex more fun!

Just kidding ^^
I do however think this is a major step in household/PC technology..
I am just guessing what nano technology and telecommuication will be capable of in the (hopefully) near future.
Very interesting, and also a tiny wee bit worrying
We are now seeing a lot of gadgets that i read about 20 years ago in my SF classics!
anyway thanks for sharing as i hadn't heard if them yet.

 

[chayton]

Right after the Sandy Hook shooting, I read an article where they talked about fears that one day in the not too distant future, people would be able to download and print working handguns. The technology is almost good enough now that you can actually print something that has moving parts. Like uhhhmmm imagine for instance a simple ball and socket - instead of having to print out the ball part and the socket part and assemble it yourself, you could print them together with the ball inside the socket and capable of moving. It's actually kinda trippy when you think about it.

Anyhow about 3 weeks after I read the article I watched an episode of CSI NY and sure enough, someone had 3D printed a gun and used it to shoot a couple of people. They must read the same articles as me.

 

[Jinn]

one day in the not too distant future, people would be able to download and print working handguns.

This danger will probably be balanced out by other people downloading and printing working bongs and pipes, who will then proceed to chill out with the greatest danger being an attack of the munchies.

Seriously though, if you have a 3D printer you can already download plans to print an amazingly large variety of products, many of which are actually useful.

For example here's a site with downloadable plans:

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Also there's an iPhone and Android app called Augment that lets you mess around with the same virtual 3D models. You just have to print out a card, and then the app creates a virtual 3D model on top of it - I sat around for hours trying it out, very fun.

The app is available from:

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[dunover]

This danger will probably be balanced out by other people downloading and printing working bongs and pipes, who will then proceed to chill out with the greatest danger being an attack of the munchies.

Seriously though, if you have a 3D printer you can already download plans to print an amazingly large variety of products, many of which are actually useful.

For example here's a site with downloadable plans:

You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.

Also there's an iPhone and Android app called Augment that lets you mess around with the same virtual 3D models. You just have to print out a card, and then the app creates a virtual 3D model on top of it - I sat around for hours trying it out, very fun.

The app is available from:

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So we can eventually print any lost hair or teeth, and a longer Hampton?

 

[vinylweatherman]

I saw an article that said there was already research into expanding this into full nanotechnology, including people being able to print their medications from "spools" of the basic components. It's not just bongs, but what goes inside them, that may be possible to make at home.

How on earth are they going to police these advancements.

For now, it's just plastic, and anyone can get hold of them. As well as the crime aspect, this could cause considerable concern to big businesses who will find that people can easily reproduce things like spares and accessories at home, or even the main item itself.

It is already possible to print counterfeit phone cases. It is the availablilty of the plans that matters.

There is also a 3D laser scanner available that, along with some software, will allow an existing object to be made into a 3D printer plan, and this then used to make further copies.

This could make the current problem of illegal downloads of music, films, and software into one where actual physical objects can effectively be pirated by downloading a plan from the internet, and making a 3D printer copy.

Whilst only plastic can be used at present, plans are to add metal. This would of course need much higher temperatures in the print head, and this may keep the prices too high for your average DIY hobbyist.

If you have metal, or even ceramics, then the printing of weapons becomes possible. Later, even the ammo that goes into them could be printed by the types of machine that can print off your medications.

Coins could become a target, making passable copies that will fool most people. The chief target would be coins that can fool machines. Given the UK's love of Fruit Machines, it may see a resurgence of the scam used in the 90's where some machines could be fooled by blanks of the same size as £1 coins, and of course, these would enter at the top, and any winnings paid from the coins at the bottom, a passable money laundering strategy which was good for about £60-£80 per machine in the 90's. I recall seeing this scam becoming widespread on the southern end of the M1. It was more profitable than faking the 20p tokens, which was also done.
Machines are harder to fool now, but it may still be possible. Old machines of the 90's used weight and magnetism to detect fake coins.

 

[chayton]

This one is really cool, this one has the moving parts all printed at once, they call it 'captured joints'

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so the leaf parts of the lamp can be pulled down to allow more light.