interesting take on things ?

[kennyc]

[Scotsgun]

Nothing new. 3D printers have been around for years and before them resin matrix casting. Unfortunately it'll be some years before making your own magazines will become worthwhile due to the costs incurred. Our desk sized machine at work is a pretty regular unit at £25-30K (depending on accessories) but the rel costs are hidden in the polymer refills. Even the refills for the mono machines (single colours) is eye watering. Also,, the finished product/model isn't particularly robust.
The machines are really only affordable as fast prototyping individual models for testing before production.

[Blu]

I watched a video last year on the medical uses of 3D printers, well it was more of a video lecture type of thing. The professor giving the lecture was telling the audience about the applications and uses 3D printers have in the medical field and went on to say that they are now actually making copies of human organs. Near the end of the lecture he told the audience that a number of hours earlier before the lecture started (I think it was six hours) they had started copying a kidney.

At the conclusion of the lecture they raised a curtain behind the professor to reveal a 3D printer and from it he took a kidney, he did go on to say that although the kidney was an exact copy of the original externally they were still working on copying the internal makeup of the kidney. He then went on to say that they reckon they will overcome this within the next 5 years.

My wife who works in the medical field has also been reading about medical uses for 3D printers and reckons that if it does become a reality the days of trying to find an organ doner for transplants could soon become a thing of the past.

Incidentally desktop 3D printers sell over here for just under $3000 though a 1kg spool of filament can cost from between $30 - $90 depending on the type used.

Blu

[Scotsgun]

The uses for 3d printers has yet to be realized. Realistically it'll be the kids that will take the concept and run with it. The resolution and machine capabilities are there but it will remain stalled until someone increases the manufacturing time and develops resins with different properties.
What I'd like to see is a resin that can either be broken back to its material state and therefore be reusable or one that is biodegradable.
The world is choking under discarded plastics. Type 'pacific Ocean plastic trash' into YouTube and despair.
There are cheaper machines using real type refills but the working envelopes are so small, the manufacturer times so slow and the plastics limited that they are barely a novelty. Perhaps of use to designers of small items like jewelery?
We run a Z-Corp machines in which the refills are granular. Pretty much an entry level standard.
What excites me would be the ability to program properties into the material itself - program same properties similar to brass and knock yourself out some biodegradable cases or properties similar to rigid kevlar and model yourself a new stock. Don't think I don't have the relevant CAD files.