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Is the improvement of 3D printer resolution simply a matter of time and engineering or are there new technologies that require significant R&D?

by ahi 14y ago

mistercow 14y ago
Is there a difference? Or is your question really about what field the R&D will have to happen in?
- aeturnum 14y ago
  I think he's asking if it's like Moore's Law (expect consistent geometric gains) or if it's like battery technology (consistent linear gains). Will next years' printers do 8 micron steps or 15.5 micron steps?
  - aidenn0 14y ago
    IIRC, Battery has been geometric gains since the 80s, at a single-digit percentage increase per year.
aidenn0 14y ago
There's not really a difference. Maximum speed of an airplane in the 20th century improved at what looks like a fairly smooth curve if you plot it, but there were lots of new technologies that were required to do so (e.g. forced induction, jets, etc.)
- shardling 14y ago
  Presumably that's because the new technology is deployed just as soon as it first overcomes the old. :)
  - aidenn0 14y ago
    Of course, that's why there is this illusion of "progress marches on" when in reality it's a bunch of breakthroughs under the curtains.
bdickason 14y ago
There are also some patents that are blocking innovation at the moment in the commercial 3D printer space.
- eclipxe 14y ago
  Interesting - I didn't know that. Do you have some examples?
  - mcpherrinm 14y ago
    Crowd-funding website Kickstarter is being sued for its promotion of a new 3D printer. More than 2,000 users contributed over $2.9m (£1.8m) to help Massachusetts-based Formlabs build the device. However, 3D Systems - a leading maker of printers that turn computer design files into real-world objects - has alleged one of its patents was being infringed by the machine. It has also filed a lawsuit against Formlabs itself. From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031
  - bdickason 14y ago
    Many are held by 3D Systems (example: Zcorp has a patent on full color printing via inkjet), some by other organizations. UT Austin has the patent for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) which is a nylon-based high-resolution 3d print. MIT has the patent for ceramic 3d printing.
  - toufka 14y ago
    Entirely anecdotal, but I was told that there are some commercial patents regarding air circulation (keeping a stable chamber is absolutely necessary for high-resolution) that are blocking some of the open projects as well.

Is the improvement of 3D printer resolution simply a matter of time and engineering or are there new technologies that require significant R&D?

by ahi 14y ago

Is the improvement of 3D printer resolution simply a matter of time and engineering or are there new technologies that require significant R&D?

mistercow 14y ago

Is there a difference? Or is your question really about what field the R&D will have to happen in?

aeturnum 14y ago
I think he's asking if it's like Moore's Law (expect consistent geometric gains) or if it's like battery technology (consistent linear gains). Will next years' printers do 8 micron steps or 15.5 micron steps?
- aidenn0 14y ago
  IIRC, Battery has been geometric gains since the 80s, at a single-digit percentage increase per year.

aidenn0 14y ago

There's not really a difference. Maximum speed of an airplane in the 20th century improved at what looks like a fairly smooth curve if you plot it, but there were lots of new technologies that were required to do so (e.g. forced induction, jets, etc.)

shardling 14y ago
Presumably that's because the new technology is deployed just as soon as it first overcomes the old. :)
- aidenn0 14y ago
  Of course, that's why there is this illusion of "progress marches on" when in reality it's a bunch of breakthroughs under the curtains.

bdickason 14y ago

There are also some patents that are blocking innovation at the moment in the commercial 3D printer space.

eclipxe 14y ago
Interesting - I didn't know that. Do you have some examples?
- mcpherrinm 14y ago
  Crowd-funding website Kickstarter is being sued for its promotion of a new 3D printer. More than 2,000 users contributed over $2.9m (£1.8m) to help Massachusetts-based Formlabs build the device. However, 3D Systems - a leading maker of printers that turn computer design files into real-world objects - has alleged one of its patents was being infringed by the machine. It has also filed a lawsuit against Formlabs itself. From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20434031
- bdickason 14y ago
  Many are held by 3D Systems (example: Zcorp has a patent on full color printing via inkjet), some by other organizations. UT Austin has the patent for SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) which is a nylon-based high-resolution 3d print. MIT has the patent for ceramic 3d printing.
- toufka 14y ago
  Entirely anecdotal, but I was told that there are some commercial patents regarding air circulation (keeping a stable chamber is absolutely necessary for high-resolution) that are blocking some of the open projects as well.