3 ms·

227 hours of machine time, $70 of plastic filament, multiple failed parts and hours of hand finishing. Truly, this is the future of manufacturing.

alephnil 7y ago
While I know you have the hype around 3D-printing in mind, there is no sign that this guy consider this anything else than a hobby. But of cause, this article does in many ways highlight the problems with current 3D-printing technology, and why it currently is mostly a rather limited prototyping tool. This would be the case even for more professional 3D-printers. Now most of the hype is gone, and I think most people realize that 3D-printers will remain a prototyping tools for the forseable future.
- Timucin 7y ago
  While I agree that people were thinking to achieve more when buying a 3d printer and then many realised it's not always easy and straightforward to print thinks in mind, I still wouldn't call this a hype. It's an advancement and we are the early adapters. Even in the current state, I managed to print many useful things, only by downloading 3d models by the fraction of the price I would be paying if I were to buy those things from shops. I also realised that 3d printers are not the same as few years ago, they are more precise, accurate and handling the errors better than previous models. So I am a bit more hopeful than you for the foreseeable future. :)
- OldXKEGuy 7y ago
  I ran across Brian's MK735 blog (via ixsystems) just a few days ago while looking for a server case. Have you actually gone to the 3dwebe website and read what is posted there? That "Cautions, Caveats and Considerations" section is posted by someone that looks like they know the possible issues, ACTUALLY CARES and disclosed those issues. This is not some "hobbyist" that just put a 3D printed server case together. 3D printing is absolutely a good prototyping tool. It's also a fantastic low cost, one-off manufacturing tool for some of us that cannot afford $10k in sheet metal design and setup costs to get what I want and not what someone else is offering.
bradfa 7y ago
To make just 1 unit of a decently complex unique design for only $70 in materials, 227 hours of machine time, and a reasonable amount of human assembly time, is seriously impressive! 3D printing isn't the future of mass manufacturing, but it is getting much much closer to being the future of prototyping and one-offs for pretty much every plastic thing (and some metal ones, too), especially as the hobby level printers keep getting better. If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes from a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  >If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes from a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop. Who on earth would want to make a computer case from plastic? Cutting, folding, drilling and riveting sheet metal is fast and economical, even with basic hand tools. You can buy a dizzying array of fixtures and fittings from McMaster-Carr or your local equivalent. I'm not fundamentally opposed to 3D printing, but I do have a bone to pick with the "maker community", which seems to have a pathological aversion to basic shop class skills. If you want to make a custom PC case, then by all means do so, just don't stink out your house with ABS fumes in the process - buy a copy of Basic Benchwork by Les Oldridge and Sheet Metal Work by R.E. Wakeford, scrounge up some tools and have at it.
  - cr0sh 7y ago
    I'm definitely in agreement with you here; it bothers me a bit to see an instructable or similar where one of the essential requirements always seems to be a 3D printer. It's always a breath of fresh air when that isn't true. In many, many cases, most things done by "makers" can be done without 3D printing anything, and be more accessible to others. I can understand needing or using one when you need something custom to fit or retrofit into an existing commercial product. Even there, with a bit of thinking, one can generally come up with a solution where a 3D printer isn't needed. I'm starting to see this same kind of attitude creep into laser cutters - projects that seem to think everyone has access to one, when that isn't necessarily true. For instance, I know where I could go to get access to one (and 3D printers, etc) - but it would be about a 50 mile drive for me. Far enough where I would seriously consider other alternatives. I do have to say, though, that the 3D printer (and other CNC tools commonly used by the maker community) has allowed for a lot of people who may not have the dexterity or other related abilities the chance to design and build some fantastic creations. Furthermore, there are more than a few things that just couldn't be done any other way (or at least as cheaply or quickly). There is also the nice idea that (at least in theory) one can take those same files and use them with other CNC processes. In the case of laser cutters, if you can print the files full-sized, you can even cut them out manually with a coping saw or other more "manual" tooling.
MertsA 7y ago
While I agree with the sentiment, on the flipside, this is a completely custom prototype for only a little over a week of machine time and a few hours of hand finishing. It would be absurd to try and manufacture that case at volume using 3d printing that slow but this is stuff that could be easily injection molded once the design is finished. Trying to come up with that same product as a one off prototype without 3D printing would make the costs for this case seem downright cheap. Just look at all of the custom parts that went into this. https://blog.briancmoses.com/Images/2019/mymk735/brians_mk735_02.jpg https://blog.briancmoses.com/Images/2019/mymk735/brians_mk73... 3D printed drive rails and hinges is honestly a pretty bad idea even for a prototype, and it basically doubled the time it took him to assemble it. I'd say it's a pretty big leap forward that some average Joe can print out a custom case like this and have it come out looking fairly professional.
deleted 7y ago
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alephnil 7y ago

While I know you have the hype around 3D-printing in mind, there is no sign that this guy consider this anything else than a hobby. But of cause, this article does in many ways highlight the problems with current 3D-printing technology, and why it currently is mostly a rather limited prototyping tool. This would be the case even for more professional 3D-printers. Now most of the hype is gone, and I think most people realize that 3D-printers will remain a prototyping tools for the forseable future.

Timucin 7y ago
While I agree that people were thinking to achieve more when buying a 3d printer and then many realised it's not always easy and straightforward to print thinks in mind, I still wouldn't call this a hype. It's an advancement and we are the early adapters. Even in the current state, I managed to print many useful things, only by downloading 3d models by the fraction of the price I would be paying if I were to buy those things from shops. I also realised that 3d printers are not the same as few years ago, they are more precise, accurate and handling the errors better than previous models. So I am a bit more hopeful than you for the foreseeable future. :)
OldXKEGuy 7y ago
I ran across Brian's MK735 blog (via ixsystems) just a few days ago while looking for a server case. Have you actually gone to the 3dwebe website and read what is posted there? That "Cautions, Caveats and Considerations" section is posted by someone that looks like they know the possible issues, ACTUALLY CARES and disclosed those issues. This is not some "hobbyist" that just put a 3D printed server case together. 3D printing is absolutely a good prototyping tool. It's also a fantastic low cost, one-off manufacturing tool for some of us that cannot afford $10k in sheet metal design and setup costs to get what I want and not what someone else is offering.

bradfa 7y ago

To make just 1 unit of a decently complex unique design for only $70 in materials, 227 hours of machine time, and a reasonable amount of human assembly time, is seriously impressive! 3D printing isn't the future of mass manufacturing, but it is getting much much closer to being the future of prototyping and one-offs for pretty much every plastic thing (and some metal ones, too), especially as the hobby level printers keep getting better. If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes from a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop.

jdietrich 7y ago
>If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes from a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop. Who on earth would want to make a computer case from plastic? Cutting, folding, drilling and riveting sheet metal is fast and economical, even with basic hand tools. You can buy a dizzying array of fixtures and fittings from McMaster-Carr or your local equivalent. I'm not fundamentally opposed to 3D printing, but I do have a bone to pick with the "maker community", which seems to have a pathological aversion to basic shop class skills. If you want to make a custom PC case, then by all means do so, just don't stink out your house with ABS fumes in the process - buy a copy of Basic Benchwork by Les Oldridge and Sheet Metal Work by R.E. Wakeford, scrounge up some tools and have at it.
- cr0sh 7y ago
  I'm definitely in agreement with you here; it bothers me a bit to see an instructable or similar where one of the essential requirements always seems to be a 3D printer. It's always a breath of fresh air when that isn't true. In many, many cases, most things done by "makers" can be done without 3D printing anything, and be more accessible to others. I can understand needing or using one when you need something custom to fit or retrofit into an existing commercial product. Even there, with a bit of thinking, one can generally come up with a solution where a 3D printer isn't needed. I'm starting to see this same kind of attitude creep into laser cutters - projects that seem to think everyone has access to one, when that isn't necessarily true. For instance, I know where I could go to get access to one (and 3D printers, etc) - but it would be about a 50 mile drive for me. Far enough where I would seriously consider other alternatives. I do have to say, though, that the 3D printer (and other CNC tools commonly used by the maker community) has allowed for a lot of people who may not have the dexterity or other related abilities the chance to design and build some fantastic creations. Furthermore, there are more than a few things that just couldn't be done any other way (or at least as cheaply or quickly). There is also the nice idea that (at least in theory) one can take those same files and use them with other CNC processes. In the case of laser cutters, if you can print the files full-sized, you can even cut them out manually with a coping saw or other more "manual" tooling.

MertsA 7y ago

While I agree with the sentiment, on the flipside, this is a completely custom prototype for only a little over a week of machine time and a few hours of hand finishing. It would be absurd to try and manufacture that case at volume using 3d printing that slow but this is stuff that could be easily injection molded once the design is finished. Trying to come up with that same product as a one off prototype without 3D printing would make the costs for this case seem downright cheap. Just look at all of the custom parts that went into this. https://blog.briancmoses.com/Images/2019/mymk735/brians_mk735_02.jpg https://blog.briancmoses.com/Images/2019/mymk735/brians_mk73... 3D printed drive rails and hinges is honestly a pretty bad idea even for a prototype, and it basically doubled the time it took him to assemble it. I'd say it's a pretty big leap forward that some average Joe can print out a custom case like this and have it come out looking fairly professional.

deleted 7y ago

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