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The problem is that they only print stuff made of plastic. The most interesting things are either made of silicon/metal (computer chips) or organic matter (foo
by flutty 13y ago
The problem is that they only print stuff made of plastic.
The most interesting things are either made of silicon/metal (computer chips) or organic matter (food, people) and neither are printable.
- dbrannan 13y agoI recently at a conference and sat in on a session on 3D printing. There were several materials to choose from now, mostly plastic, but I saw rubber and a few other materials.
- mindcrime 13y agoThere's a sort of "faux wood" material you can print with as well.[1] And there is such a thing as 3D printing with metal also[2], although that can be much more expensive and probably isn't down into the reach of DIY'ers yet. [1]: http://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/3d-printer-wood-filament/ http://www.wired.com/design/2012/11/3d-printer-wood-filament... [2]: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143552-3d-printing-with-metal-the-final-frontier-of-additive-manufacturing http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143552-3d-printing-with-m...
- culturestate 13y agoThis space is evolving very quickly - it's not perfect by any stretch, but you can actually order metal parts from Shapeways[1], and there was a story recently about NASA "3D-printing" rocket parts using nickel alloy[2]. 1. http://www.shapeways.com/materials http://www.shapeways.com/materials 2. http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/140084-nasa-3d-prints-rocket-parts-with-steel-not-plastic http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/140084-nasa-3d-prints-roc...