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I don't think this is the future of 3D printing. They are not nearly as general-purpose as computers. They can be put to excellent use in certain applications i

by Gracana 12y ago

I don't think this is the future of 3D printing. They are not nearly as general-purpose as computers. They can be put to excellent use in certain applications in all sorts of industries, but these are all fairly niche. The general-purpose tools required to make art, to fix things, and to make new things, have existed for centuries. They are simple, inexpensive, versatile hand tools. Files, hammers, chisels, knives, saws, drills, etc. But still, many people have only a meager collection of tools, stashed in a drawer in their kitchen. They don't want to spend them time to mend or create things. They buy replacement parts, they can hire someone to do the work for them, they can buy brand new things, and they can stick with what they know. 3D printers can't win there. They're finicky, they're expensive, their build size is limited, their materials are limited. Barring absolutely monumental improvements in versatility, cost, and usability, 3D printers aren't going to bring anything more than fleeting novelty to the average home.

jkestner 12y ago
For the most part, I agree. I think 3D printers have and will continue to revolutionize industrial design. But what might come next is if industrial designers flip the script and, instead of using 3D printers to make poor prototypes of injection molded parts, they come up with products designed to 3D printers' strengths? Those are few now, but will grow in a feedback loop between manufacturers and designers.
fudged71 12y ago
>They are not nearly as general-purpose as computers Any one 3D printer is not general purpose as the computer, but all 3D printer types combined are. 3D printers are the first general purpose robots that most people will own, and all of the attachments and use cases of the gantry system make it very versatile. Using the same extrusion system you can make a liver, a cookie, a sweater, a circuit board, or a house. How is that not general purpose? The gantry system lets us program 3D space however we want it, and that is remarkable.

by Gracana 12y ago

jkestner 12y ago

For the most part, I agree. I think 3D printers have and will continue to revolutionize industrial design. But what might come next is if industrial designers flip the script and, instead of using 3D printers to make poor prototypes of injection molded parts, they come up with products designed to 3D printers' strengths? Those are few now, but will grow in a feedback loop between manufacturers and designers.

fudged71 12y ago

>They are not nearly as general-purpose as computers Any one 3D printer is not general purpose as the computer, but all 3D printer types combined are. 3D printers are the first general purpose robots that most people will own, and all of the attachments and use cases of the gantry system make it very versatile. Using the same extrusion system you can make a liver, a cookie, a sweater, a circuit board, or a house. How is that not general purpose? The gantry system lets us program 3D space however we want it, and that is remarkable.