A what ever 3-D Printer?

[rigney]

Stumbled on this quite by accident. Many of you are probably familiar with either the process or the scam, just not me? Which is it? What gives? Is it really for real?

 

3-D printed tool? http://www.wimp.com/functionaltools/

[Mafio]

I don't know if this technology is already so developed that you get these colored and smooth objects from it like in the video, but if you are interested in real 3D printer I would suggest you to google for RepRap.

Its a 3D printer which can be build for the most part by another RepRap. It is almost a self-replicating machine

 

[dimreepr]

Stumbled on this quite by accident. Many of you are probably familiar with either the process or the scam, just not me? Which is it? What gives? Is it really for real?

 

3-D printed tool? http://www.wimp.com/functionaltools/

 

 

I'm familiar with the process in that it’s possible to create plastic (not sure of the chemicals involved) shapes in this way, however I can’t see how the wrench could be made without making it in three separate parts.

 

 

[Klaynos]

I'm familiar with the process in that it’s possible to create plastic (not sure of the chemicals involved) shapes in this way, however I can’t see how the wrench could be made without making it in three separate parts.

 

You fabricate it with a support material which you then remove through some process.

 

We've a few systems that could build the wrench in one go and then you'd melt the wax out of it. Although it'd be plastic, we've a metal one as well but I'm in no way familiar with it I've only seen a few test objects.

[Aman shah]

It is noted that this topic is under speculation.Let me tell you that 3D printing already exists but a bit new in market.There are few 3D printers on sale on www.Kickstarter.com

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?utf8=✓&term=3D+printing

You may also like claytronics which is more advanced and was shown on discovery channel as well as discovery science ,in the television broadcast of Next World,which is my favourate program.To me 3D printing is not a big surprise because already we use CAD-CAM everywhere.What really surprises is claytronics Technology(Programmable matter).Please also see,

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~claytronics/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytronics#Future_applications

 

 

[hypervalent_iodine]

I'm moving this out of speculation because it really isn't speculative. 3D printers are very real.

 

3D printers exist and they're pretty neat. I have a friend who owns two of them. I think from memory the model he has is called the MakerBot. The newer version is the ThinkerBot. The best and most handy bit about them is that you can print the parts to build a new one or upgrade your old one. There is a file sharing community that allows to share blueprints to make various things, too, which saves on time if you can't be bothered figuring it out and programming it yourself.

[dimreepr]

I’m sorry I didn’t make myself at all clear. I understand how you could design the wrench to be movable and in one piece the process being layer by layer. What I’m unclear of is how you take an external scan and without further input have enough information of the internal mechanism to make it movable?

 

 

[Klaynos]

I’m sorry I didn’t make myself at all clear. I understand how you could design the wrench to be movable and in one piece the process being layer by layer. What I’m unclear of is how you take an external scan and without further input have enough information of the internal mechanism to make it movable?

 

Sorry I've not watched the whole video, is that what they claim? It does seem a little far fetched through a metal object! It would not be too difficult to design it in a 3D modeller such as solidwords or autocad and build from those designs (what we do).

[dimreepr]

Sorry I've not watched the whole video, is that what they claim? It does seem a little far fetched through a metal object! It would not be too difficult to design it in a 3D modeller such as solidwords or autocad and build from those designs (what we do).

 

 

Having re-watched the video they do seem to be making that claim, they scan the wrench with what appears to be a 3D laser scanner. I can only imagine they skipped the extra input or overlaid the scan with an existing model of the wrench.

 

 

[Appolinaria]

I'm moving this out of speculation because it really isn't speculative. 3D printers are very real.

 

3D printers exist and they're pretty neat. I have a friend who owns two of them. I think from memory the model he has is called the MakerBot. The newer version is the ThinkerBot. The best and most handy bit about them is that you can print the parts to build a new one or upgrade your old one. There is a file sharing community that allows to share blueprints to make various things, too, which saves on time if you can't be bothered figuring it out and programming it yourself.

 

OH MY GOD. That's awesome.

 

I want one.