3 ms·

I think 3D printing the spark plug itself would be the wrong approach. You could get a better result by designing and printing a jig for making spark plugs - pe

I think 3D printing the spark plug itself would be the wrong approach. You could get a better result by designing and printing a jig for making spark plugs - perhaps a couple of pieces? So like, one extruder for making ceramic tubes, then a lathe for working the ceramic while it's still soft? My own messing around with a 3d printer has generally confirmed it's an amazing tool for making jigs of all kinds, but the actual prints aren't usually that useful in and of themselves.

ben_w 5y ago
I reached a similar conclusion a while back, when a previous partner was talking about the benefits of mensural cups and how annoyingly expensive they were, and how making them cheaper could help young girls in certain 3rd world countries finish their education without being embarrassed out of the classroom the moment they reach puberty. (My ex said there were other issues besides cost, but cost had to be solved as well). While it is possible to 3D print silicone, and while that would still be cheaper than anything I see on the first page of Amazon search results even today, it was clearly much more sensible to 3D print a reusable mould to pour silicone into. Then you can expand the idea into a cottage industry by having multiple moulds, with fluid channels, as a single unit. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation suggested a 3D printed multi-mould the size of a shipping container would supply all global demand for mensural cups, but then I found Alibaba and it listed mensural cups for less per hundred than the local store listed them per unit[0], and I figured the purchase price already had nothing to do with manufacturing costs and wasn’t something I could optimise. [0] at the time, they’re only 20-30 times cheaper today
_def 5y ago
I came to the same conclusion. There are many things you can print which are good enough, but I feel like that a 3d printer shines for making tools

ben_w 5y ago

I reached a similar conclusion a while back, when a previous partner was talking about the benefits of mensural cups and how annoyingly expensive they were, and how making them cheaper could help young girls in certain 3rd world countries finish their education without being embarrassed out of the classroom the moment they reach puberty. (My ex said there were other issues besides cost, but cost had to be solved as well). While it is possible to 3D print silicone, and while that would still be cheaper than anything I see on the first page of Amazon search results even today, it was clearly much more sensible to 3D print a reusable mould to pour silicone into. Then you can expand the idea into a cottage industry by having multiple moulds, with fluid channels, as a single unit. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation suggested a 3D printed multi-mould the size of a shipping container would supply all global demand for mensural cups, but then I found Alibaba and it listed mensural cups for less per hundred than the local store listed them per unit[0], and I figured the purchase price already had nothing to do with manufacturing costs and wasn’t something I could optimise. [0] at the time, they’re only 20-30 times cheaper today

_def 5y ago

I came to the same conclusion. There are many things you can print which are good enough, but I feel like that a 3d printer shines for making tools