Real Science

[will_marx 0]

Jamie Rector for The New York Times

 

Sometimes a particular piece of plastic is just what you need. You have lost the battery cover to your cellphone, perhaps. Or your daughter needs to have the golden princess doll she saw on television. Now.

 

 

In a few years, it will be possible to make these items yourself. You will be able to download three-dimensional plans online, then push Print. Hours later, a solid object will be ready to remove from your printer.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technolo...nyt&emc=rss

[Dox Maturin 0]

Amazing, and I think it would revolutionize how we use plastic products. Another project (maybe this is the same/similar) involved a plastic liquid "ink" injected into a container and lasers would solidify the plastic when they crossed paths. Then the objects came out the unsolidified goop would drain into the pan and you'd have a perfect plastic 3D object.

 

The article references being able to print your own replacement products at home. I agree! I wonder however since this basically pushes the cost of building parts onto the consumer, will companies now charge us for the "data" to print, say, a new plastic wheel for our vacuum cleaner? Or will it become incorporated into the warranty of the product? Really, they could add a CD of all the replacement parts you could possibly need and incorporate it into the pricing of the product. Unlimited available parts!

 

And when you think about that, will these companies be happy about losing revenue when people are fixing their own products with their own 3D printers rather than buying them from the company or buying a replacement product entirely?

 

This technology brings up a whole host of questions.

[LoAmi 0]

The article references being able to print your own replacement products at home. I agree! I wonder however since this basically pushes the cost of building parts onto the consumer, will companies now charge us for the "data" to print, say, a new plastic wheel for our vacuum cleaner? Or will it become incorporated into the warranty of the product? Really, they could add a CD of all the replacement parts you could possibly need and incorporate it into the pricing of the product. Unlimited available parts!

I would assume that, at first-pass, revenue would be generated by selling plans. But, when sales of "hardware" effectively become sales of "software licenses" everything starts getting hairy. I could also more easily see practical "free hardware" (analogous to today's "free software") than I can today, where specialized facilities are required for most hardware production.

 

The closest analogy I can think of would be that the changes in the plastic hardware market would mirror those that took place in the specialized device market with the advent of the general purpose computer.

 

And when you think about that, will these companies be happy about losing revenue when people are fixing their own products with their own 3D printers rather than buying them from the company or buying a replacement product entirely?

 

I think that's the equivalent of "Were horse and buggy manufacturers happy when the automobile came out?" :-)

[Dox Maturin 0]

I could also more easily see practical "free hardware" (analogous to today's "free software") than I can today, where specialized facilities are required for most hardware production.

 

Indeed! If computer folks can get their hands on software that enables them to design products that can be created right in a persons home, made entirely of plastic, I couldn't imagine the creative products that might become available. I could also see 'freeware' repair parts becoming available where the manufacturer now does not bother to produce due to lack of interest/profitability.

 

Of course the next step from the 3D printer is a 3D scanner.

 

You make a very good point about the copyright/patent/license issue. In this litigious country I imagine an innovative tool like this would be to the manufacturing industry like the mp3 player is to the RIAA: a tool to steal and distribute their works (at least in their narrow, limited view).

[Dumbass 0]

Indeed! If computer folks can get their hands on software that enables them to design products that can be created right in a persons home, made entirely of plastic, I couldn't imagine the creative products that might become available.

I can, but I would be banned from the forum for sure if I said what everyone is probably thinking anyway.

[Tachyon 0]

So if it takes hours for my printer to manufacture something, what if I want to print something? :)

[will_marx 0]

So if it takes hours for my printer to manufacture something, what if I want to print something? :)

 

That's what a regular printer's for. The printers they're discussing in the article are CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) printers.

 

And something like this would be a boon to a model maker. Just think of the custom parts and pieces one could make for any type of model. Heh, build conversion parts for Star Trek models without using resin pieces. (All Good Things Enterprise-D anyone?)