The 3D printer is at the development stage where the PC was in the late 1970's . http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/the-3-d-printer/3667402
makerbot kits around $2K. there's the up. there's a bunch of them. but yah, i can remember when pc's were 8-bit and didn't have drives or os's yet. even before that when there were only kits. yes i want. yes i can still bearly afford one maybe. but i don't use credit and don't really, i mean the place where i live is like a closet with a bathroom and two wall outlets. i even have to wwan to connect to the net. argh. i should post links maybe? i'll qr this and look them up. well this one's simple, the website to find that is: makerbot.com there's also makershed.com there's a bunch of vids on youtube and veimo too. forget corporate media, go to the real deal direct source. there are also place that have them, that you can upload your geometry in their format to, and they'll ship you the 3d part. one i know best of is over in netherlands though, and i'm in the u.s. anyway makerbot's in nyny somewhere. started out as a hobby nerd group. well i can remember when the s-100 bus sort of did too.
SO find yourself one of those Enco CNC kits and replace the machining gear with an x,y,z, axis range of motion and a goo pen or maybe a MiG wire? I think it was an Enco kit at least or a subsidiary perhaps? Used to run ad's in Electronics Now magazine mid to late 90's. But yes, the fact that modern medecine is now beginning to use this sort of thing to help grow replacement tissues and the hope is soon to print out replacement parts or at least soft tissue ones in a relatively short time is pretty amazing.
that's the general idea, except the print head is a heater that melts a plastic string, that you can buy on a roll to feed it. they make a plastic string you can use for this out of corn cobs, so the fumes won't kill you, or you could encolse it in a vent hood or just have a strong fan blowing, and use one that is made out of something like a.b.s. also the platform it "prints" onto, needs to be made out of or coated with something the printed object won't be perminently stuck to. the up printer stage is intended to be coated with something, looks like some kind of wax. the makerbot stage has a roll of something that looks like wax paper, that it advances when the printing is done. to dispence the printed part. any 3d design program that can output a .stl format can be used to program them. there is a site called makerverse, where people exchange designs for objects, from stove knobs, to 'cathederal play set' components, to, i suppose, one could make their own custom shaped leggo blox. my wish is to make parts for my own model building. also scale minaiture non-humans to populate my little world, live in its houses and ride its trains. here's a link to a makerbot example on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHPs6NIemBc&feature=related"]My MakerBot - 3D Printer - Timelapse - YouTube
OR printed over a strand of fish gut or whatever material would be suitable, like the dried string from the goo pen itself. :cheers2:
I've seen the output from 3 printers. Held a ball bearing assembly in my hands, I believe it was made of an oatmeal type of material, hard particleboard type of composition. It had a diameter of about two inchs complete with inner and outer races and I forget how many balls. All made at the same time, in one "pass". Ran smooth, really nice. Good for prototyping. I've also seen plastic parts made on these printers. Never ran one though. They are appearing in schools as the prices are dropping.
my former teacher actually has a 3D printer, for his "side business" He works with animation companies like Disney and Pixar, and makes 3D models for the animated characters in the movies, usually used at movie festivals and release parties or whatever i guess. But once he's finished designing or importing the model on his PC, he prints it off using the 3D printer, its pretty cool. I'm assuming a lot of companies use this sort of technology for making toys and stuff though, too?
Have fun Stormin' the Castle! (KNEW I saw this somewhere,,, lol ) http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
Overhead crane anybody? I'm thinking it could be a quick path to shipbuilding if one built a semi rigid frame and shell from either carbon composite resins or recycled and thermoformed milk jugs?? I wanna build a mini Spruce Goose.
well you can build models of anything. if you want them to work, you still have to build the parts separately and put them together. if you want to build a super gigantic 3d printer, well of course you can, but the cost of that much materials doesn't get any cheaper because of what you're building with it.
