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I've been calling overbuzz on 3D printing from the outset, and this story does nothing to dispel that. These mostly aren't practical things - they're just tat.

I've been calling overbuzz on 3D printing from the outset, and this story does nothing to dispel that. These mostly aren't practical things - they're just tat. And guess what? You can make tat a lot more cheaply, quickly and creatively than with some complex device, custom raw ingredients and a load of faffing around. A 3D printed clock? Fuck off. It's just a clock mechanism attached to a disc of 3D printed plastic - you can attach a clock mechanism to anything and make a clock. Can the mechanism be printed? No, can it bollocks. I think there are amazing industrial uses for these things, but there are very, very few items which are made from a single colour of a single plastic. I can't remember the last time I needed a replacement part for something and it was just a monoblock plastic piece. Edit: The submission's title has just been changed from "Ten Practical things to make with a 3D printer"

cfinke 14y ago
I can't remember the last time I needed a replacement part for something and it was just a monoblock plastic piece. As the father of two young boys, I could make a full-time job of printing replacement plastic pieces for broken toys.
- AlexMuir 14y ago
  ...full-time job... In a way that's my point - it's probably a 5 hour job to print a replacement plastic peg for some toy. 5 hours is $100 for anyone who can afford a 3D printer. Plus the printer's cost. Financially it makes no sense. As a hobby... brilliant and probably hugely rewarding, but the 3D printing lobby would have you believe we'll all have one and nothing will be landfilled any more.
  - ColinWright 14y ago
    It might take 5 hrs to print it, but do you stand there and watch it the whole time? Plus there are several items I've printed that I could have obtained in no other way. So 3D printers are great for me, and now I'm on the verge of it being viable to buy rather than outsourcing the printing.
  - jheitzeb 14y ago
    So do you think you'll feel this way in a year? 2 years? 5 years?
  - jessriedel 14y ago
    It doesn't make sense to fold in the owner's time when the machine is printing on its own. The real cross over point is when it takes less time to find the part online (not trivial) and get the printer started than it does to drive to the store and find it (if it exists). Then, the cost of the owner's time cancels out. If you live outside a major urban zone, this driving and finding time can be substantial.
pilgrim689 14y ago
just yesterday I wanted to repair my phone but I needed a prying tool to pry some parts off of the chip. I could've just printed something like http://daydealx-com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/images6/prytool.jpg http://daydealx-com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/images6/prytool.j... A week ago, something broke in the toilet (the refill valve I think it's called... a long plastic tube that refills the tank after a flush). I could've just printed a new one. I also needed a screwdriver recently, and since domestic 3D printers will eventually be able to print metal just as easily as they can print plastics, I will be able to just print one. And these are just recent examples off the top of my head...
- jackpirate 14y ago
  If you want to shape metal, you need a real cnc machine. "Printed" metal simply cannot have the right internal crystalline structure for a lot of tasks.
  - pilgrim689 14y ago
    Do you have a citation on that? That you cannot print metal? What about all the mentions of being able to print metals using various techniques on Wikipedia [1]? [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing#Additive_processes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing#Additive_processes
    - nnnnni 14y ago
      You can indeed print metal using SLS methods, but it uses a powder. The weakness is in the binding agent...
  - F_J_H 14y ago
    Careful there...GE recently bought a company that is "printing" metal jet engine parts: http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/11/additive-manufacturing http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/11/additive-m...
blhack 14y ago
There actually are 3d printed clock mechanism. Search 3D printed clock mechanism MIT media lab. I saw one there a couple of years ago while visiting a friend there.
jessriedel 14y ago
Your comment has a couple constructive points. Why the vitriol? It doesn't help the discussion, and it's really not appropriate on HN.

cfinke 14y ago

I can't remember the last time I needed a replacement part for something and it was just a monoblock plastic piece. As the father of two young boys, I could make a full-time job of printing replacement plastic pieces for broken toys.

AlexMuir 14y ago
...full-time job... In a way that's my point - it's probably a 5 hour job to print a replacement plastic peg for some toy. 5 hours is $100 for anyone who can afford a 3D printer. Plus the printer's cost. Financially it makes no sense. As a hobby... brilliant and probably hugely rewarding, but the 3D printing lobby would have you believe we'll all have one and nothing will be landfilled any more.
- ColinWright 14y ago
  It might take 5 hrs to print it, but do you stand there and watch it the whole time? Plus there are several items I've printed that I could have obtained in no other way. So 3D printers are great for me, and now I'm on the verge of it being viable to buy rather than outsourcing the printing.
- jheitzeb 14y ago
  So do you think you'll feel this way in a year? 2 years? 5 years?
- jessriedel 14y ago
  It doesn't make sense to fold in the owner's time when the machine is printing on its own. The real cross over point is when it takes less time to find the part online (not trivial) and get the printer started than it does to drive to the store and find it (if it exists). Then, the cost of the owner's time cancels out. If you live outside a major urban zone, this driving and finding time can be substantial.

pilgrim689 14y ago

just yesterday I wanted to repair my phone but I needed a prying tool to pry some parts off of the chip. I could've just printed something like http://daydealx-com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/images6/prytool.jpg http://daydealx-com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/images6/prytool.j... A week ago, something broke in the toilet (the refill valve I think it's called... a long plastic tube that refills the tank after a flush). I could've just printed a new one. I also needed a screwdriver recently, and since domestic 3D printers will eventually be able to print metal just as easily as they can print plastics, I will be able to just print one. And these are just recent examples off the top of my head...

jackpirate 14y ago
If you want to shape metal, you need a real cnc machine. "Printed" metal simply cannot have the right internal crystalline structure for a lot of tasks.
- pilgrim689 14y ago
  Do you have a citation on that? That you cannot print metal? What about all the mentions of being able to print metals using various techniques on Wikipedia [1]? [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing#Additive_processes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing#Additive_processes
  - nnnnni 14y ago
    You can indeed print metal using SLS methods, but it uses a powder. The weakness is in the binding agent...
- F_J_H 14y ago
  Careful there...GE recently bought a company that is "printing" metal jet engine parts: http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/11/additive-manufacturing http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/11/additive-m...

blhack 14y ago

There actually are 3d printed clock mechanism. Search 3D printed clock mechanism MIT media lab. I saw one there a couple of years ago while visiting a friend there.

jessriedel 14y ago

Your comment has a couple constructive points. Why the vitriol? It doesn't help the discussion, and it's really not appropriate on HN.