Cheap 3D Printing.

[swestrup]

I remember once having a major techno-craving for a laser printer. At the time I was making do with a crappy dot-matrix tractor-feed printer and for most purposes it just wasn't very useful. At my first opportunity I plunked down several thousand dollars (I don't remember the exact price, but it sure wasn't cheap) and bought myself one. That printer is now getting rather long in the tooth, and you can buy far more advanced laser printers for prices that are smaller by an order of magnitude, but I don't regret for a moment plunking down all that cash.

These days, I'm finding I'm jonseing for a 3D stereolithography system. They've been rapidly falling in price for the last decade, and some models that have just been announced cost around what I paid for my laser printer. I'm not exactly sure what I would do with such a beast, but I can immediately think of a dozen pieces that I'd like to manufacture to fix some items around the house. I'm sure that if I owned one, I'd find far more uses. Heck, I might even get into playing Warhammer 40K if I was allowed to build my own figurines...

Of course, there is the question of what features you want in such a gadget. Way back when, I decided that a color laser printer simply wasn't worth the extra cost, and truly, I've seldom felt the lack. My choice might be different today though. Similarly, there are stereolithography systems in the works that can work in multiple materials simultaneously. Some are even working on systems that can lay down organic conductors and OLED displays so that a single machine can actually spit out a low-quality working laptop or cell phone. I've even heard that a friend of a friend of a friend is working on a commercial machine that will produce arbitrary 3D objects out of chocolate. That would be sweet!

Comments

[skjalm.livejournal.com]

Why do I get some very intriguing mental images of people playing W40K with chocolate miniatures. If you kill an enemy mini you get to eat it. Yum!

Now, if only you could make booze filled chocolate...

[swestrup]

> Now, if only you could make booze filled chocolate...

See, See? THAT'S why you want multiple-material capability!

[cpirate.livejournal.com]

Nah, you can make do without; just manufacture a hollow shell, fill with liquor of choice, then manufacture the cap and solder it on there (or get the machine to continue where it left off, if it lends itself that way).

[swestrup]

Well, if you wanted to go to that much effort, you could just use a standard machine to make chocolate figurine molds and fill them by hand.

[cpirate.livejournal.com]

True, but there's something to be said for versatility. You're right though, it's a bit too fiddly; easier just to make chocolate shot glasses. There's no real need to seal them when their expected lifespan is measured in seconds.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

3-D printers are so cool. They have some examples of things that have been printed with them in the display cases at Soda Hall at UC Berkeley. None of them had the level of detail of a gaming mini, though. But they were several years old.