Personal 3D Printers are now a reality.

[kgun]

Personal 3D Printers

3D Systems has long been committed to providing great technology and choice to the growing 3D Printing segment. In 2009 we launched our first sub $10K 3D printer and began to better understand the barriers to broad utilization. We are now working on a multi-front strategy to democratize access and accelerate the adoption of 3D printing for the student, the hobbyist and ultimately, the consumer. The real keys are utility, affordability and 3D content. And, we are on it!

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Will it be combined with

Projecting the virtual onto the real world. SixthSense technology.

[kgun]

This thread is started april first 2012, but it is no joke.

[SteveGerencser]

I had my first desktop RP machine more than 10 years ago. We've doing wax printing from CAD (STL) for maybe 12 years or so. During that time we also used a great laser based plasticizer material (very expensive machine) and eventually settled on a German made 4 axis mill with incredible resolution making it perfect for jewelry.

3D systems has always been at the high end of the price range. I think we paid about 6 grand for our first desktop mill and maybe 8 grand for our first wax printer. You can build one yourself now for close to a grand.

For a while we were even stripping 3D files from games like WOW and making wax models of people's characters.

[kgun]

Interesting.

This is not my business, but I found the news story about http://www.3dsystems.com/ and their technology ineteresting.

An interesting article from BBC News posted January 11 2012:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16503443

It has been created by using extrusion technology - a process in which a spindle of plastic thread is unravelled, melted and fed through a print head which draws the object layer by layer - in this case at a rate of 40mm per second.

3D printing is nothing new - engineers and designers have been using it for more than two decades to create prototypes.

What has changed is that the printers are now being pitched at consumers.

When I search for 3dprinter on Google.no at least three Norwegian sites / pages is among the 10 first hits:

Interesting Norwegian article Published: januar 11 2007.
http://www.tu.no/data/2007/01/11/byg...gen-3d-printer

Bygg din egen 3D-printer

Vil du lage din egen Ingeniørbragd-pris hjemme i stua? Eller kanskje en fysisk 3D-modell av drømmebilen eller drømmehuset ditt? Nå har du muligheten.

Build your own 3D printer

Want to make your own Engineering Achievement Award in your living room? Or maybe a physical 3D model of your dream car or dream house? Now is your chance.

A Norwegian article posted Janaury 11 2010 with 22 comments.

http://nrkbeta.no/2010/01/11/ces2010...e-en-3d-print/

Norwegian Site:

http://www.3d-print.no/

Related threads:

http://www.dimensionprinting.com/

http://www.3dprinter.net/

So what is the differenc between a robot and a printer?

So the next step is to print a real car or even your new house?

[SteveGerencser]

I don't know about printing a house, but We are already seeing replacement plastic parts STL files online. Say you have a toy or something that has a plastic gear in it and the gear breaks. Just download the STL file for the toy, find the part you need and print up a new one.

[kgun]

Making jewelry models is of course one solution. Is it possible to make simple real jewelry in simple material by using a 3D printer?

You may know Edvard Munch that painted scream . We have another famous artist, sculptor Gustav Vigeland that made a famous sculpture: Sinnataggen ("angry boy")

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kursiv/1804716885/

He has got a big park, the Vigeland Sculpture Park housing his sculptures. He made the models and other realised them in stone.

The Monolith that can be seen on the slide show:

http://www.fpvenner.no/billedgalleri.html

is another famous sculpture.

Panorama view of Frognerparke is available here: http://www.fpvenner.no/billedgalleri.html

Future sculptures may depend on your ability to make good computer moedels of physical objects.

Danish http://www.lego.com/ is one obvious solution. Think of it. You may put garbage from plastic and similar material into a feeder, combine it with a computer model and the consumer is able to produces his / hers own toys that can be given as gifts.

So what is the difference between a robot and a 3Dprinter? How it is operated, that is more like a 2D printer and not simulating human behaviour like a robot does.

But the most recent news is perhaps that the technology is made available to the consumer.

[SteveGerencser]

We make incredibly complex jewelry with a printer and a mill. It's really not that hard once you work out the process.

But I assume when you say 'consumer' you mean 'cheap'.

[kgun]

But I assume when you say 'consumer' you mean 'cheap'.

No.

But I assume that professional jewelry is just that, so printers made for the consumer should not be able to compete with professional printers used by professionals, especially regarding jewlry.

In addition, I am a true amateur in this field, but it is an interesting subject. How will the technology evolve? How is the thechnology 20 - 40 years from now?

[SteveGerencser]

There is no real difference between a pro level printer/mill and at at home hobbyist mill other than resolution. And even that is becoming more common.

The printers are the worst. Each layer leaves a ridge around the piece. It can be about .1mm to .2mm or so. On large items that isn't a big deal. But on small items like jewelry, that leaves a lot of cleanup to do to get everything smooth and polished.

Just like print printers there isn't much difference between pro level and home level. Speed, resolution and cost pretty much define the difference.

[edhan]

I have seen 3-D picture painting on streets but yet to see 3-D printers in the market. This will be exciting but the cost will definitely be sky high since it is new.