[Question] 3D Printing goes global.
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
The $20,000 HP with $40,000 replacement plastic will jam within two months and you will not be able to repair it...
Can God's printer jam so hard even God can't repair it?
GasBandit
Staff member
Replicators that use petroleum as base matter. If printing really takes off like we think, it'll be yet another demand for oil. Soooo... pick another middle-eastern nation in need of liberation and break out the fracking machines. MUA HA HA HA HA
The most popular plastic for dedicated reprap users is actually PLA, which is based on corn starch is is both biodegradable and renewable.
Abs is still more popular overall, due to durability and flexibility, but when oil becomes too expensive we can readily replace most plastics with a renewable version.
Only if he goes to work for HP.
GasBandit
Staff member
GAHD do you have to ruin EVERYTHING?
Obviously you missed out on the fact that this only leads to more corn subsidies, and their whole suite of problems. You can throw in some Monsanto mania for extra credit.
Do you have to miss EVERY setup?[DOUBLEPOST=1367942265][/DOUBLEPOST]
Right now all these prints use thermoplastics, which can be melted and reused. There are a number of open source projects for turning plastic pellets into the filament these printers use, and eventually you'll find that you can grind up parts and turn them into filament for the printers.
So yes, with the plastics people are using now you can. It may be that someone will start supply thermoset plastics, which can only be melted once, for printers, but that's probably some time down the road, and only for specialized applications, such as rubberized grips.
Wait mini-toys sounds better than weapons, I'm doing that! So many silly robots I will make-IT WILL BE GLORIOUS!
Even in it's first generation state, it will probably be cheaper to print role-playing miniatures than it is to buy the plastic ones.
GW is going to regret it's heavy handed decisions so bad.
Rumor is they're looking to sell. Those heavy handed tactics look good to investors when the immediate numbers improve.
Holy shnikeys...NANOBOTS! WE ARE MAD CLOSE TO NANOBOTS! Now all I need to do is attune my telepathic abilities to control them-AND DOMINOES IS GOING DOWN! Or maybe I'll just use em for the good of man kind, whichever is easier.
NASA AMA on reddit today' confirmed they are working on using native materials on the moon to supply large scale 3d printing manufacturing on it's surface!
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1epdv7/i_am_mason_peck_nasas_chief_technologist_ask_me/
Dave
Staff member
Also, patient has 75% of skull replaced with 3D printed implant.
Much better than making a stupid gun that won't shoot straight.
Much better than making a stupid gun that won't shoot straight.
figmentPez
Staff member
Yeah, but I still want to be able to print Darkwing Duck's gas gun.
figmentPez
Staff member
I saw a blurb in Popular Science about advancing suit technology for the Winter Olympics. It made me wonder, how long until we're 3D printing suits directly onto athletes right before the competition so that suits can be completely seamless, without even a zipper?
figmentPez
Staff member
True, decades at the least, I should think.
Still, in the meantime it will be fun to eat 3D printed sugary confections:
For the swimsuits it's not just the material, but the texture that makes the big difference. It's going to be a long time before we can build a suit on someone that's competitive.
Further, there's no real benefit. Seams are not an issue with modern sewing techniques, and humans can get into and out of clothing far more easily and cheaply than having it printed on them.
I expect clothing will still be made, even if by a printer, off human for the foreseeable future.
When 3D printing really goes global, the early adopters will produce the parts to make 3D printers themselves, so those will be cheaper and more widely available to everyone. In time, people will also start to make parts that automatically make parts for printers, culminating in a fully realised assembly line for printers. To allow for customization, software will be developed and computers will be printed to automate the assembly lines. This evolution goes on for a while, until one day, JUDGEMENT DAY arrives and John Connor leaps up and tweets around the world "I Told You So! My mom is gonna be so pissed at you guys..".
