The Possibilities of 3D Printers

[GIThruster]

No doubt. This is never going to make quality forged items obsolete. It is exciting they can do it with metals at all though. This is a step toward making colonies autonomous at least until they can create their own smelters and forges.

[paperburn1]

If you cant make money with your device because it costs to much , then sue those who do.
http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/21/3d-sys ... promotion/

[djolds1]

No doubt. This is never going to make quality forged items obsolete. It is exciting they can do it with metals at all though. This is a step toward making colonies autonomous at least until they can create their own smelters and forges.

Amorphous metallic glasses/ BMGs are a possibility for printers - relatively low temperature, and extrudable.

Recent developments:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 114157.htm

[DeltaV]

Recent developments:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 114157.htm

The US Patent for this.

[DeltaV]

Next-Generation Consumer 3-D Printer Arrives, but a Lawsuit Looms

Desktop 3-D printers are about to become available with higher-definition capabilities, with a new startup shipping its first model this month.

At $3,299, the Form 1 could expand the market for 3-D printing technology. It can produce much higher-fidelity plastic objects than the consumer desktop printers available today. But it is still cheap enough to be affordable to a wide swath of professional designers, engineers, and dedicated tinkerers. The Form 1 can, for example, create detailed functioning prototypes with mechanical parts, such as precise screw threads.

Formlabs is in the middle of a court fight with 3-D Systems, which has accused it of patent infringement (Formlabs says that at least some of the patents have expired, but Linder wouldn’t comment).

Another focus has been developing the proprietary plastic for the printer. This will sell for $149 a liter, which would be enough to make, in theory, 76 rook chess pieces. So far Formlabs has made a clear resin, but now a team is working on other colors and other feels to the plastic that might make an object harder, softer, or more rubbery, says Linder.

[kunkmiester]

I've heard the new resins are pretty stable, enough to make usable parts from. However, at $150 a liter, it's prohibitively expensive. ABS filament for FDM printers is about $30 a pound, and that's more significant than the resolution.

I've been looking at printing nerf guns. It's probably about 10 bucks each with a creatr, probably less once I get real numbers. With that thing, I'd probably be looking at over $30 for a small gun, and bigger ones would be over a hundred for material alone. Similar brand name Nerf guns are about $30 retail.