3 ms·

Both very good points. Printing a printer is quite a thought.

• icebraining 15y ago
  Printing a printer is quite a thought. Check out the RepRap project. They're trying to design a cheap, open source 3D printer that can print itself: http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap
  • firefoxman1 15y ago
    Oh that's insane. It says it's self-replicating, but can it assemble the parts it creates or is a human needed? And what about the microchips? Those still take expensive machinery to produce, right?
    • icebraining 15y ago
      Well, their goal is to make it self-replicating, but it's far from it for now. I think it can essentially make the specialized parts, but you still need to buy various common parts and assemble it yourself. See the BOM of non-printed parts: http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel#Non-Printed_Parts_.28.22vitamins.22.29 http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel#Non-Printed_Parts_.28.22...
      • cabalamat 15y ago
        > Well, their goal is to make it self-replicating, but it's far from it for now. Indeed. Replicators are at roughly the same point today that personal computers were in 1975. So expect that in a few decades everyone will have one in their house, able to make a very wide range of objects.