Well, even if I had that sort of money, how big are these devices? Might have trouble fitting it in any room of my apartment other than the living room.

Besides, if the resin is brittle as stated, I'd rather wait until they develop ones that can use other materials.

Still, I was just theorizing with my initial posting. I had no idea the technology pretty much existed.

The printer was about the size of an upright Microwave Oven.

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They said the brittle stuff was the OLD stuff. Did you look at the headset that was made for Thunder with the machine? I know you don't like 25th figs but look at the headset that OreoBuilder made with the machine for the Thunder. That don't look very brittle to me.

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Water jet cutting tools with CAD programs exist now that let custom motorcycle builders like the guys at OCC turn steel plates or rim blanks into whatever they want. Wouldn't it be possible to do the same thing here using are harder plastic like PVC or something?

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Yeah, that's a NICE headset, but it's a little hard to determine the consistency of the material used from the photo. Still, if there's some better stuff around, so much the better. Nothing I can do anything about right now, but it's interesting indeed to know the capability exists, and will doubtless only get more sophisticated.

I'd say if they had a good hunk of plastic to use it with it could be done. then just take the scraps and remelt to make another block.

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Let me rephrase my statement about "brittle" materials. This was a company, a few years back, using an older machine. I'm sure this was a second-hand machine they got "cheap" to do this toy work. Right now, writing this, I am holding some samples of the material options you can get from a place right here in Tucson. You can have stuff made in wax, resin, plastic, aluminum filled plastic, even metal. It all depends on how much you want to spend, and what resolution you are trying to get. I've had parts made with the resin (SLA) when we need to ensure parts fit together, but you have to be careful with them. But, if you want durability, you can use another machine (SLS) that doesn't make as precise of parts. Those you can handle the part without worrying about breaking it (you can, but have to try real hard).

Another option with the technology is to use the computer to drive cutters, which can be used to create molds to pour your own castings.

If you look around the web, you can also find some sites of the truely-adventureous, who've started building their own machines from scratch. I looked at a few sites and decided I wasn't dedicated enough to go that far.

Hee. I love looking at old threads like this. It didn't take long for the tech to become a lot more affordable did it...

- R

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Yeah, I didn't even look at the date until you mentioned it.

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•stares at his home made slabs of material for that exact purpose•

We live in the future .

It's never that far off, is it.

I did a predictions thread about 5 or so years ago, and I was trying to find it to see how off I was. Couldn't find it, but I found the numbers in this staggering.

It's on my bucket list to own a 3d printer, but in 5 years I might see it and it'll look to me like I put "having a toaster" on my bucket list. Everyone will have one, and they won't really be special anymore.

- R

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Not at all ! We live in exciting times (both positively and negatively) . One of the reasons i haven't made the investment into a 3D printer myself is because it's about 6 years from being able to provide a few critical (to me) features that would make it worth it but the very fact that i've even considered it (and others who arent Saudi Kingdom rich have already bought one) lets me know, yeah, pretty soon everyone will have one.

Or more specifically everyone will have access to one at their local Staples or Office Depot - http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/13/3d ... d-service/

I use a Tassimo at home but still drink Starbucks because it's better - I am pretty sure I'll have a small one at home, and print big or high quality stuff at staples, like I do for data models and promotional stuff at work.

And it will go where my paper printer currently is, because I doubt in 5 years I'll ever be printing anything on paper again.

- R

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except for decals. don't forget a printer for decals or your new self made toys will all look plain.

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In five years, I see it being more like saying "I have a band saw". The very nature of printing makes it not something that the average person will want to mess with regularly. Clogged nozzles, print jobs messing up halfway through, slow print times for anything of quality, these will all make it the realm of the dedicated hobbyist/enthusiast. I think they'll continue to become more affordable and have better resolution, but the time for them to be the real-world equivalent of the in-home replicator is still a bit far off. The models readily available to the public will be much more polished than the ones currently available, but they'll still have issues. They'll be aimed at small business and the 'prosumer' market. You may even be able to order them from the same place you'd order a computer or laser/inkjet printer today. The general public will still look at them as a novelty or of little use. Also, because of the way the printers work, pieces will never be as finished looking as an injection molded piece without some clean-up work on the print. This will deter some people from wanting to mess with them.

I think in five years or less, you, and others with the desire, will have fused media printers (like the printers currently available as kits and such) and you'll show them to friends or family who come to visit will be impressed, much like seeing a well-equipped workshop now. These printers will be available in various configurations, such as multiple extruders to allow multiple colors or more easily removable support material or armatures for removing prints from the print bed for more automated printing. At the same time, the big thing for tinkerers and early adopters will be sintering printers (like what pro companies like Shapeways use), which will be where the fused-media printers are today. Kits and pre-builts will be available and you'll start seeing people printing in a variety of materials, including metal, plastic, wax and more. (Just imagine being able to print out T-hooks to make your own ARAH-style figures or to fix figures with busted T-hooks.)

I also think you'll see a lot of people offering printing services like you see casting services offered today. Once the prices and reliability of printers get to the point where anyone who wants one can get one, I think you'll see a big change in the hobby, too. Instead of buying a cast or print from someone, you'll buy a file to run through your printer to print the item yourself. This will also lead to some tricky issues, as you might buy a model with the express permission to print it a single time, but what will keep you from multiple prints, or giving it away to others to print? Also, how will it affect the collector's market? There will always be purists who want original pieces, but what about the guy who just wants a physical representation of an item and doesn't care if it's original or a repro? I'm not in the hobby for a monetary aspect, but I can see it hurting the secondary market some.