Post: #1

http://finance.yahoo.com/photos/20-impre...slideshow/









Pretty neat stuff, going to open a lot of doors... good and bad.

Post: #2

Some people are making guns.

https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+...e&ie=UTF-8

Yes good and bad, but the items themselves are not good or bad, they just exist. What people choose to do with them or how people judge how they are used is where the good and bad comes from.

On the bra pic - at first I thought 3D printers made nice boobs, lol

Post: #3

So far my favourite 3d printer invention remains the artificial hand.

Post: #4

Finally a thread on this. Probably the most important techno advance of our time.

It will collapse many industries and probably precipitate a revolution.

Just imagine how the record industry collapsed... take that and multiply it by almost every object in your home (including your home).

We are in for drama.

Post: #5

(07-03-2013 03:09 AM)soup Wrote:  Finally a thread on this. Probably the most important techno advance of our time.

It will collapse many industries and probably precipitate a revolution.

Just imagine how the record industry collapsed... take that and multiply it by almost every object in your home (including your home).

We are in for drama.

With things the size of houses, you have to consider the practicality of either having a printer large enough to build the house, or transporting the house/components.

That bra looks like it's made of pills. Remove bra, eat pills, be absolutely smashed just in time to orgasm?

Post: #6

They are printing body parts out of human cells. Very neat.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/a...ology.html

Post: #7

In the future computers will build everything

all you will have to do is create a 3D house

Using a software like this

Post: #8

3D printers - in factories will reduce low skill manual labour. And reduce cheap imports from abroad.

3D printers - in homes will reduce transportation costs for cheap plastic objects.

And alot of people are making parallels with computers. But that is a mistake.

Computers were shit 30 years ago. And today they are great.

Alot of people assume the same will happen with 3D printers. But I am not so sure since Moore's Law (that computing power will double every two years) only applies to the world of bits (computers). I don't see how a similar exponential increase in improvements will apply to the world of atoms (objects).

I may be completely wrong. It is just I sense alot of people are imagining history will repeat itself with 3D printers in a similar way to the history of computers. And as such imagine they might stumble across the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak when investing in these technologies.

But the driving force behind the growth of computers over the past 30 years (Moore' Law) does not apply to 3D printers. So - I am a little doughtful that the future of 3D printing will be as exciting as that of computers.

And indeed - it is this imagined parallel with the history of computers which subconsciously excites people more than any objective analysis of the importance of 3D printers.

Just my take on it. I have a friend who is investing in this area so have thought a bit about this.

Post: #9

I'd love to be able to print a 2" thick steak

Post: #10

(07-03-2013 08:34 AM)cardguy Wrote:  3D printers - in factories will reduce low skill manual labour. And reduce cheap imports from abroad.

We'll have 3D printers that print 3D printers in 3D!

Post: #11

(07-03-2013 08:34 AM)cardguy Wrote:  3D printers - in factories will reduce low skill manual labour. And reduce cheap imports from abroad.

3D printers - in homes will reduce transportation costs for cheap plastic objects.

And alot of people are making parallels with computers. But that is a mistake.

Computers were shit 30 years ago. And today they are great.

Alot of people assume the same will happen with 3D printers. But I am not so sure since Moore's Law (that computing power will double every two years) only applies to the world of bits (computers). I don't see how a similar exponential increase in improvements will apply to the world of atoms (objects).

I may be completely wrong. It is just I sense alot of people are imagining history will repeat itself with 3D printers in a similar way to the history of computers. And as such imagine they might stumble across the next Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Steve Wozniak when investing in these technologies.

But the driving force behind the growth of computers over the past 30 years (Moore' Law) does not apply to 3D printers. So - I am a little doughtful that the future of 3D printing will be as exciting as that of computers.

And indeed - it is this imagined parallel with the history of computers which subconsciously excites people more than any objective analysis of the importance of 3D printers.

Just my take on it. I have a friend who is investing in this area so have thought a bit about this.

I think growth will be more dependent on the materials we can use in the printers.

Sort of like batteries limiting the scope of some technologies.

Post: #12

I think some companies are trying to make food using 3d printers but for now they're just able to make $300,000 dollar synthetic hamburgers or something.

Post: #13

(07-03-2013 08:38 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  I'd love to be able to print a 2" thick steak

How would you print it? Rare?

Post: #14

My industry has been using 3D printers for a few years now, in even in that short amount of time the cost has plummeted, while the quality has improved significantly.

With the type of plastics we use now objects are designed to snap together. In the past we used a powder that had no flex. Now we are making hinges no problem.

With the new Makerbot desktop Replicator we have been printing everything on a whim.

Wanted a cigarette case. Print.
A holder for my kindle that sat on my chest for reading in bed. Print.
A holder for iPad and eReader for reading while eating. Print.

Its endless. Everything is custom and exactly how you want it.

Most of the stumbling block is using the 3D software. But if you can use Solidworks, Maya, Rhino or others than its easy.

The new dual extrusion on the Makerbot is cool as well. Two colors.

Post: #15

(07-03-2013 09:18 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

(07-03-2013 08:38 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  I'd love to be able to print a 2" thick steak

How would you print it? Rare?

Raw. I'd cook it up myself.

Food replication would be a great use of this technology.

Post: #16

(07-03-2013 11:08 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

(07-03-2013 09:18 AM)Architekt Wrote:  

(07-03-2013 08:38 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  I'd love to be able to print a 2" thick steak

How would you print it? Rare?

Raw. I'd cook it up myself.

Food replication would be a great use of this technology.

Perfect marbling every time. We could even start eating endangered animals - if we run out, just print off some more! Ever wondered what a Hawaiian Monk Seal tastes like? Or perhaps a Komodo Dragon? You'll be able to try it, without the guilt! Fur is murder? Not anymore, we can just print off a coat for you, no animals necessary! Want to throw some ivory keys on that piano? You got it! Elephants need not worry! Vegan? Forget tofu, now you can eat some fucking meat!

I should be in marketing..

Post: #17

China is going to hate this so much. I'm all in for it.

Post: #18

(07-03-2013 11:46 AM)Volk Wrote:  China is going to hate this so much. I'm all in for it.

I was thinking that before, after I read soup's post. All of those people that invested in what are now ghost towns in China are going to be kicking themselves even harder.. Anyone with yellow fever is going to be loving life, though.

EDIT: Personally, I'd like to see some kind of Dinosaur printed out. It doesn't have to be full size or anything, but it would be pretty boss..

Post: #19

People always want to live in the future but I'm telling you, we already live in the future. Developments are really speeding up the last 100 years. Our generation already saw way more futuristic things happen than for example our fathers. Compare the brick mobile phone of the 90's with the HD playing supercomputer you have in your hands nowadays.

Compare our lives to that of a medieval peasant. Nothing really big happened from the year 0 till the late 1700's except for the invention of gunpowder maybe. Building methods and astrology were already invented before the year 0. Hell, the horse cart was the standard means of travel in most countries until the 1940's

I always use the music industry as a simple example. The LP record has been the standard for like 80 years, followed up by CD's (fifteen years the industry standard) which was rapidly followed up by mp3. In a few years people will just stream everything.

In our lifetimes we will see space travel, colonization of planets, new ways of harvesting the free energy of the sun, holodecks, printing of body parts, medical nanobots repairing your body while you sleep, integration of electronics in the human body. Perhaps the first bionic people.

This is the best time to live of all the ages.

I just hope they find a cure for baldness before my hair starts falling out

Post: #20

(07-03-2013 08:15 AM)le prince perdu Wrote:  

In the future computers will build everything

all you will have to do is create a 3D house

Using a software like this

Ya, printers plus robots.

The limits would be energy, resources, and war.

Post: #21

relevant:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

Post: #22

My remote controlled pterodactyl body

http://xsplat.wordpress.com/2007/06/04/m...ctyl-body/

Post: #23

Gmac, I'm curious to know why you decided to post this thread now. I've been obsessed with 3d printers for the last month or so after hearing that a guy printed a gun.

Post: #24

Casts 3D-printed to fit perfectly, yet allow the wearer to scratch and wash.

Post: #25

This technology is just incredible, I've been meaning to start some business related to 3D printing for a year now, I just don't know what exactly. I must do more research.