# 3D Printing



## ZEBOV (Mar 31, 2013)

I don't see why there isn't more hype for 3D printing. I just watched a video about making the lower receivers of assault rifles and 30 round magazines with 3D printing. The lower receiver is the part that has the serial number, which makes it the part that is federally regulated. See that such a part can be made from the comfort of your own home, it made me think about what else can be made with a 3D printer and how I think the 3D printer is going to change the world more than the internet did.
Now I'm not getting into a gun debate. I think there's another thread for that. I'm just talking about what the 3D printer can create as well as destroy.
For creation, you can download blueprints off the internet of anything that can fit in a 3D printer, and then you can just print it. There are also 3D scanners, so I foresee guitar players scanning guitars so that others can print a plastic 3D copy to at least get an idea of how a certain guitar feels and then go buy the real thing if they like it. You can make dishes, eating utensils, guitar picks, phone covers, garbage cans, furniture parts, weapons.... maybe even use the printer to build a house piece by piece.
What it can destroy: any company that manufactures what a 3D printer can make. That means a lot of jobs will go down the drain.
If almost every home has a 3D printer 10 years from now, how do you think society would be reshaped? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the government tried to ban 3D printers because it can cut down the economy to less than half of what it is now and because you can use 3D printers to make weapons.

This is the video I just watched. It's kind of long (that's what she said).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DconsfGsXyA


----------



## AndrewG716 (Mar 31, 2013)

I saw that video as well, it's a pretty interesting concept.

I think the only way 3-D printers will take off is if enough different materials are available to print from. From the video it sounds like whatever plastic they use isn't terribly strong. Might work well for decorative items and such, but not for anything that needs to undergo cyclic loading like the lower receivers or any tool. I guess it's all about what there is demand for.


----------



## ZEBOV (Mar 31, 2013)

Things can be done to reinforce the plastic though. It can either have some simple architectural changes made to make it stronger or something can be added after it is made.


----------



## pink freud (Mar 31, 2013)

3D printers have already "taken off." They are used for rapid-prototyping all the time.

The plastic used is also able to used in a lost-wax casting method, so even ignoring directly 3D printed metals anything can be made into metal through a process.


----------



## Chickenhawk (Mar 31, 2013)

Defense Distributed printed a lower that handled 650+ rounds. No idea what the round count was when it broke. They're making progress.

I'll be looking into getting or building a 3d printer fairly seriously by the end of the year. I think it's amazing technology.

Even if the government tries to regulate 3d printers, I can build an entire AR or AK in my garage right now (except the barrel). Even better once I get ahold of a mill and lathe that don't suck. It's not like building firearms in basements is a new thing, with the advent of 3d printing.


----------



## AndrewG716 (Mar 31, 2013)

Turns out you can just print metal. Should be interesting to see how the technology evolves in the coming years.


----------



## coffeeflush (Mar 31, 2013)

Guitar wise one will be able to print out parts like bridge, nuts and tuners etc. If it can print metals I wish it could print strings as well. So much scope there. 

Body wise it will allow for lot of experimentation too. 

Since in such a case the information regarding how its made becomes more important governments will have to not only ban things like weapons etc but also their design information being available online which means less internet neutrality and more crackdowns. 

We will in a way be truly moving into an information age, and techniques like sophisticated stenography and encryption will force governments to monitor users more and more. Not just online lives but phone conversations as well.


----------



## skeels (Mar 31, 2013)

"Computer, replicate me a cup of hot coffee, strong, extra sugar, so that I may enjoy it while watching this new technology unfold."


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Mar 31, 2013)

Isn't there already a company using 3D printers to make guitar bodies?


----------



## Watty (Mar 31, 2013)

ZEBOV said:


> Things can be done to reinforce the plastic though. It can either have some simple architectural changes made to make it stronger or something can be added after it is made.



Most likely you'd have to reinforce during the printing process. We'd looked at using this tech to print a few brackets out for a school project, but it turned out that the material was too weak for our application and adding reinforcement was out of the question due to the significant expense incurred by more than doubling the amount of material used.



Chickenhawk said:


> Even if the government tries to regulate 3d printers, I can build an entire AR or AK in my garage right now (except the barrel). Even better once I get ahold of a mill and lathe that don't suck. It's not like building firearms in basements is a new thing, with the advent of 3d printing.



Gun debate aside...this scares me.


----------



## Sicarius (Mar 31, 2013)

I got to play with the one our Visual Media dept. bought before we installed it into the classroom.

many awesome things can be made for them. 

I don't like that you can just print an AR lower. There's no way they can be regulated, but the cost to own a 3D printer that uses the right kind of plastic to make one of those, isn't going to be cheap; those DD guys aren't printing those out on a little Makerbot Replicator.


----------



## Bodes (Mar 31, 2013)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Isn't there already a company using 3D printers to make guitar bodies?



Yarp!

www.odd.org.nz

Not my cup of tea though...


----------



## AxeHappy (Mar 31, 2013)

Cory Doctorow wrote a book that examines a bit of this issue called, "Makers." 

I would highly recommend it to anyone, as it's a fantastic read, but it's even better if you're already concerned about this issue.


----------



## skeels (Mar 31, 2013)

Watty said:


> Gun debate aside...this scares me.



Guns aren't so scary when you think that someone could bash your skull open with a rock.

And when they figure out how to make rocks with a computer then everyone will have them!


----------



## Watty (Mar 31, 2013)

skeels said:


> Guns aren't so scary when you think that someone could bash your skull open with a rock.
> 
> And when they figure out how to make rocks with a computer then everyone will have them!



This is precisely the reason I said "gun debate aside;" let alone conflating the two items in question seems reductionist at the absolute best. You can make any joke you want, but it's a serious issue that has repercussions far beyond what I think any of us would care to imagine for the sake of this particular thread.

Edit: And it was more a point of social commentary on the clientele involved in the practice than a comment on the item itself.


----------



## skeels (Mar 31, 2013)

^Watty, Watty, Watty... 

I prefer to think of myself as less "reductionist" and more of a "smart ass".

Although I do like to boil things down to their basic elements. 

You said "debate aside" and then proceeded to offer your opinion, to which I countered with my opinion and an attempt to both brighten your mood and alleviate your fears. Oh, and for the record, I thought my failed humour made it quite clear that my opinion is pretty much that I have no opinion. Opinions seem kind of worthless to me. Kind of like saying, "I just want to say this" when you are already saying something anyway. 

So when I start a thread about how big rocks with jagged edges should be regulated along with guns and fast food and stupid people, I hope that you will recognize that I am not conflating but rather collating- collecting and diverting redundant thoughts into a simmering miasma of unbridled ideaology in which we are not constrained by the pretenses of irrelevant illusions about reality. You and I have similar viewpoints- it is not the item itself - the jagged rocks - I take issue with but the people (or clientele, if you will) who bash in other people's skulls with them. That is my social commentary for the evening. 

There. See, I am a smart ass.

Dude, lighten up.

"Computer, two big glasses of vodka, please. Neat. And also see if my friend Watty would like something also."


----------



## User Name (Mar 31, 2013)

i think ill buy one

At Home 3D Printer


----------



## Watty (Mar 31, 2013)

skeels said:


> _Blah....Blah_
> 
> "Computer, two big glasses of vodka, please. Neat. And also see if my friend Watty would like something also."



A) The clientele comment was not regarding people who would commit the violence, more about the folks who would be able to manufacture their own weapons in the comforts of their own home. I assume that there exists a giant difference of opinion between us on the whole of the argument based on that being how you interpreted my original sentiment.

B) Being a smart ass is all well and good, but bringing it up in a context as serious as this happens to be (while outside the scope of this thread) is something I'd say I don't get along with. Though, like you said, opinions are worthless and it is the internet after all.  Also, kudos on using some high rhetoric and sentence structure; I knew I couldn't be the only one... 

C) I'll pass on the booze and request a water of your contraption.


----------



## skeels (Apr 1, 2013)

Watty said:


> I assume.....argument based on .... sentiment.
> 
> smart ass is ...good.... I don't get along with. ...worthless ..internet ..
> 
> ....booze.


 

I hear what you're saying, man- Cheers!


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 1, 2013)

That conversation is not something I should have attempted to read. I just woke up.


----------



## zappatton2 (Apr 1, 2013)

I have been thinking about the 3D printer a fair bit lately. What if you could literally produce anything you wanted at any time within the next few decades? I'm old enough to have grown up without internet or MP3s, didn't rip my first cd until I was almost out of college, but even just a few years before downloading music became the norm, very few people, myself especially, could have conceived what the MP3 world did for music consumption.

Now what if computers did that for everything consumption. Of course, in this case you'd have to feed something in to get something out, but it seems like all this exponential change is going to necessitate a complete overhaul of how our economy works. Not a bad thing per se, but so many doors are being opened, and though this stuff is pretty primitive at the moment, I think 3D printers are going to be a game changer the same way the internet was.


----------



## pink freud (Apr 1, 2013)

Chickenhawk said:


> Even if the government tries to regulate 3d printers, I can build an entire AR or AK in my garage right now (except the barrel). Even better once I get ahold of a mill and lathe that don't suck. It's not like building firearms in basements is a new thing, with the advent of 3d printing.



Wasn't the Sten famous for being a basement-builder during the war?


----------



## Randy (Apr 1, 2013)

Chickenhawk said:


> Even if the government tries to regulate 3d printers, I can build an entire AR or AK in my garage right now (except the barrel). Even better once I get ahold of a mill and lathe that don't suck. It's not like building firearms in basements is a new thing, with the advent of 3d printing.



With my limited experience in using a firearm (lots of basement, attic and barn weapons from friends farms around the area), I'm not sure I'd trust anything I built myself. Considering what's going on inside of a gun (Yes, I know you know all this), it's only a little off "here" or a little off "there" to turn a "gun" into a hand grenade.


----------



## Chickenhawk (Apr 1, 2013)

Randy said:


> With my limited experience in using a firearm (lots of basement, attic and barn weapons from friends farms around the area), I'm not sure I'd trust anything I built myself. Considering what's going on inside of a gun (Yes, I you know all this), it's only a little off "here" or a little off "there" to turn a "gun" into a hand grenade.



As long as the chamber is strong, it'll be fine. The gun might break, but it won't explode.

If you try to fire a .50 caliber bullet out of a chamber made of a 2x4, then you might have to learn to play guitar with one hand. If the receiver or stock falls apart, you might have a small scratch on your hand.

Watty:

Guns are made at home every day, all over the world. As a matter of fact, I have a good friend that owns a couple he built in his garage. Completely legal. In fact, the ATF actually has it written that an individual can build firearms for themselves, as long as they fit a few guidelines (can't fire from the open bolt, not fully automatic, certain barrel length and rifling requirements, overall length, etc). Once that person builds them with the intent to sell, they become a manufacturer, and have to obtain the proper licenses from the ATF.

And for the record: Making it illegal to build a gun at home will not stop people from having the ability to make guns at home. 


Enough of the gun debate: I'm still a huge fan of the idea of having a 3D printer. My wife has a Jeep sitting next to the driveway that needs a few parts. Instead of spending $400 at the parts store to buy an entire power window motor assembly because a small plastic piece broke, I could just print out a new piece, put it on the old motors and be done with it.

Need more plates or cups? Print 'em. Kid have a project for school, but you don't want to dick around with styrofoam? Print it.


----------



## JTL (Apr 1, 2013)

It is my belief that 3d printers will be in every home in 10 years or less. Imagine printing out kitchen ware or any little househould item you need. Towel rack screw plate cover, hinges, you name it. This will change the way we live our lives the way the internet has for us. 

You could also design every little thing in your home or your every day accessories. Personally designed to your tastes/needs. 

Eff yeah technology. Now hurry up with my nano-tech so i may become eternal.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 1, 2013)

How cheap and plentiful is the raw material used in 3D printers, anyways?

Is it "Print ALL the things!" cheap and plentiful, or more like "Print only what you really need because anything else will be cheaper to buy premade" cheap and plentiful?


----------



## VBCheeseGrater (Apr 1, 2013)

skeels said:


> "Computer, replicate me a cup of hot coffee, strong, extra sugar, so that I may enjoy it while watching this new technology unfold."



I did research on nanotech for my public speaking exam in 2002. The ultimate 3d printer will be able to construct at the atomic level. Anything is possible! Nanobots would build the object and more of themselves to help build the object.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 2, 2013)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> I did research on nanotech for my public speaking exam in 2002. The ultimate 3d printer will be able to construct at the atomic level. Anything is possible! Nanobots would build the object and more of themselves to help build the object.



Would it be able to build elements from the periodic table from scratch?


----------



## pink freud (Apr 2, 2013)

ZEBOV said:


> Would it be able to build elements from the periodic table from scratch?



Technically that would be the _sub-_atomic level. Much harder to have a cannister-o-protons than it is to have a cannister-o-carbon.


----------



## skeels (Apr 2, 2013)

Ironically, I already have a contraption at my house that can produce a cup of coffee at the touch of a button. 

It's called a Mister Coffee and it was only like fifteen bucks.

All I have to do is put in water.

.....And coffee. ....

But, you know. ... That's pretty sweet, eh?


----------



## Xaios (Apr 2, 2013)

skeels said:


> Ironically, I already have a contraption at my house that can produce a cup of coffee at the touch of a button.
> 
> It's called a Mister Coffee and it was only like fifteen bucks.
> 
> ...


----------



## skeels (Apr 2, 2013)

Yes. Yes I am. 

But not like the spell casting, staff wielding type.

More like a car stealing, drunk, smelly wizard.


----------



## ilyti (Apr 2, 2013)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> I did research on nanotech for my public speaking exam in 2002. The ultimate 3d printer will be able to construct at the atomic level. Anything is possible! Nanobots would build the object and more of themselves to help build the object.








NOT A GOOD IDEA


----------



## Watty (Apr 2, 2013)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> How cheap and plentiful is the raw material used in 3D printers, anyways?
> 
> Is it "Print ALL the things!" cheap and plentiful, or more like "Print only what you really need because anything else will be cheaper to buy premade" cheap and plentiful?



Well, the course I took where we considered a printed part as an option had a $100 lab fee to cover materials and such used; presumably the printer plastic was part of that cost. I wanted to print two brackets that I designed in SW that were approx. 6"x5"x1" (though only half that volume was actually occupied by material) and the prof said that it was cost prohibitive to print them, not to mention they wouldn't be even remotely strong enough for anything other than display purposes.

This was 3 years ago and it wasn't a top of the line machine, but hopefully that gives some idea of what you could expect to pay for this sort of process. So, $20 spoon barely able to hold a scoop of your cereal at breakfast time? No thanks.


----------



## The Atomic Ass (Apr 3, 2013)

Not specific to the topic of 3D printers, but a larger view of a trend of which 3D printing is only a small part:

FuturistSpeaker.com &#8211; A Study of Future Trends and Predictions by Futurist Thomas Frey » Blog Archive » 2 Billion Jobs to Disappear by 2030


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 3, 2013)

The 4 Worst Things People Are Making with 3D Printers | Cracked.com


----------



## Jakke (Apr 3, 2013)

Am I the only person finding this problematic for the manufacturing industry? If they do become good enough (which apparently is far from certain) to replace them, what are people working manufacturing supposed to do? Work R&D? Do office work?

It's pretty cool, but I do believe that they could be a problem...


----------



## skeels (Apr 3, 2013)

Will my new 3d printer be able to make more new 3d printers?

I believe my new job at the 3d printer factory is in jeopardy.


----------



## zappatton2 (Apr 3, 2013)

skeels said:


> Will my new 3d printer be able to make more new 3d printers?
> 
> I believe my new job at the 3d printer factory is in jeopardy.


 I could be wrong, but I think I actually read of someone attempting this. Everything said and done, if we could produce everything via 3D printer or even better, some sort of matter generator, would there be a need for jobs at all? The whole nature of working could itself be turned upside down.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 3, 2013)

Jakke said:


> Am I the only person finding this problematic for the manufacturing industry? If they do become good enough (which apparently is far from certain) to replace them, what are people working manufacturing supposed to do? Work R&D? Do office work?
> 
> It's pretty cool, but I do believe that they could be a problem...



You're not. This could really hurt the job market until we have the nanotech 3D printing that was mentioned above. I think nanotech 3D printing would make money obselete though. I think there will still be a need for certain jobs, but people who do them simply want to do them because money is not an issue. I would love to be a school teacher if money was not an issue.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 4, 2013)

Jakke said:


> Am I the only person finding this problematic for the manufacturing industry? If they do become good enough (which apparently is far from certain) to replace them, what are people working manufacturing supposed to do? Work R&D? Do office work?


 
They'll have to find jobs in the service sector, like everyone else who has lost their jobs to outsourcing or technological advancement.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 4, 2013)

But the service sector would eventually be full.


----------



## Grand Moff Tim (Apr 4, 2013)

How do you arrive at that conclusion? It's not like there's a fixed number of jobs in the service sector. That's why "job creation" gets thrown around so much in political debates.


----------



## pink freud (Apr 4, 2013)

Money becomes obsolete when energy efficiency approaches 100%, not so much when everything simply becomes very convenient.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 5, 2013)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> How do you arrive at that conclusion? It's not like there's a fixed number of jobs in the service sector. That's why "job creation" gets thrown around so much in political debates.



There's not a fixed number, but there are only so many people needed for one type of job.


----------



## skeels (Apr 5, 2013)

I think perhaps the wave of the future will be figuring out how to deal with all the garbage produced by the 3d printers. 

Actually just garbage in general.


----------



## Watty (Apr 5, 2013)

skeels said:


> I think perhaps the wave of the future will be figuring out how to deal with all the garbage produced by the 3d printers.
> 
> Actually just garbage in general.



It'll be burned or used as bacterial feedstock to produce energy. Researched this for my senior project at school; really interesting topic. We looked into the viability of a process that would use run of the mill garbage to feed bacteria which produce a waste product similar to ethanol after refinement. Pretty cool as the process could be almost self sufficient once started with thermal regeneration; almost nil on the waste products produced as well.

Now to use a 3-D printer to make some of the parts that make up the plant....


----------



## Mexi (Apr 5, 2013)

On a more positive note about 3D printers

3D printer can build synthetic tissues - University of Oxford

_'We have created a scalable way of producing a new type of soft material. The printed structures could in principle employ much of the biological machinery that enables the sophisticated behaviour of living cells and tissues.'_

needless to say, this could have incredible applications that go beyond anything that 3D printing has done before. More shit like this and less guns


----------



## SkullCrusher (Apr 7, 2013)

Metal printer>

Additive layer machining!


----------



## vansinn (Apr 7, 2013)

I haven't been through all posts yet, so it may already have been covered..
Wired.com has a weekly column about 3D printing.

Apart from printing with melted plastics, layer by layer, just a few of the methods currently in use:
. forming and hardening a lump of epoxy with lasers
. a mix of plastic and wood fibers, resulting in objects almost like wood
. a mix of fine granular stainless steel and binder, which is then baked in an oven, removing the binder, and resulting in a solid metal object. Cumbersome and expensive
. to my knowledge, directly printing with molten metal is done, but expensive
. experimentally printing with living cells, creating human tissue. Organs next up

It has already been announced that in the near future, not only will asteroids be mined, but raw materials will be extracted on the spot and 3D printed into building blocks et al..

It's suggested foods in the future can be printed from raw materials. Yikes and sheez kebab.
Monsanto will love it: Print you own delicious foods from our (gov) controlled synthetic amino acids and proto gels. Spice up with your very own favorite flavors, all specifically engineered to match your registered DNA in our secure (gov) SSR-database.

Some Dutchies is about to print a full-sized house.
A car has been printed, that is, chassis and exterior, not yet the engine 

Affordable DIY assembled kits can be had from $600 and up. Some are more than adequate for small scale development objects.
A few thousands worth can buy a printer good enough for small-scale production.

Probably a good thing uranium isn't too easily DIY processed, else a new booming print-your-very-own-nano-nuke market might arise..

I do foresee things like Print-A-Nail. Possibly later, for girls Print-A-Boob, and for guys Print-An-Extension, all based on living stemcells, perfectly integrating into your living organism. Be more Woman. Be more Man. 
The Illuminati will likely be able to Print-A-Slave.

(yes, I'm in my weird corner this evening..)


----------



## flint757 (Apr 7, 2013)

zappatton2 said:


> I have been thinking about the 3D printer a fair bit lately. What if you could literally produce anything you wanted at any time within the next few decades? I'm old enough to have grown up without internet or MP3s, didn't rip my first cd until I was almost out of college, but even just a few years before downloading music became the norm, very few people, myself especially, could have conceived what the MP3 world did for music consumption.
> 
> Now what if computers did that for everything consumption. Of course, in this case you'd have to feed something in to get something out, but it seems like all this exponential change is going to necessitate a complete overhaul of how our economy works. Not a bad thing per se, but so many doors are being opened, and though this stuff is pretty primitive at the moment, I think 3D printers are going to be a game changer the same way the internet was.



I foresee this leading to more of an IP nightmare than anything else. People will have to be ridiculously secretive and who knows the machine may even 'register' what you have built so as to notify the original designer or something. That is more paranoia than anything though.  I don't see these corporations taking it lightly though. Look at the backlash for online streaming of tv, movies and music. That is also the way of the future yet there have been many roadblocks preventing proper progress (especially with TV).

I also foresee that the material will be expensive even if there is no need for it to be simply to offset the cost (supply and demand); Same with the machines themselves.

I can also see the material being taxed similar to how a lot of Europe is currently with blank CD's and whatnot. 



JTL said:


> It is my belief that 3d printers will be in every home in 10 years or less. Imagine printing out kitchen ware or any little househould item you need. Towel rack screw plate cover, hinges, you name it. This will change the way we live our lives the way the internet has for us.
> 
> You could also design every little thing in your home or your every day accessories. Personally designed to your tastes/needs.
> 
> Eff yeah technology. Now hurry up with my nano-tech so i may become eternal.



They will find a way to avoid this being in every home 10 years from now I am certain of that. There is little reason fiber shouldn't be more widespread now and most places are lucky to have it. That is both a financial limitation and IMO an intentional hindrance to prevent mass amounts of easy downloading, legal or not.


----------



## pink freud (Apr 7, 2013)

3D printing at super advanced levels is going to be a nightmare of logistics.

First off, yeah, IP. Expect printers to have some sort of protection (two types minimum: Material recognition and 3D geometry recognition).

Second, and this one is a fair ways off and delves into some sci-fi sounding stuff, but user protection. Think about the hazard potential of a 3D printer that had basic elemental building blocks and was hooked up to an insecure network. One virus and all the sudden your printer just spits out a bunch of chloramine. Or even worse, once they get to the level of "printing" microbes you end up with the most malicious "Yo dawg" ever when a computer virus creates some Ebola for you to breath in.

Still, I have faith that issues like this or others can be dealt with with forethought.


----------



## EdgeC (Apr 8, 2013)

pink freud said:


> Still, I have faith that issues like this or others can be dealt with with forethought.


 
We're all doomed.

But seriously...


----------



## vansinn (Apr 8, 2013)

ilyti said:


> NOT A GOOD IDEA



Well, this has already been demonstrated at the (yet) more impractical lab level, where models of planes was build from molecules.

But I agree that we'll see some mind_bugging_ nano'istic results in a near future.
Don't worry.. someone will be _Building Better Worlds_.

Meanwhile, I'll just want to print boring pickup covers, and headless tuners 



pink freud said:


> First off, yeah, IP. Expect printers to have some sort of protection (two types minimum: Material recognition and 3D geometry recognition).



At the regular consumer market, yes, of course, but take a look at where open source based 3D printing already is by now..
Did all the closed source software and digital rights management shebang kill-off and control what was intended? To some degree, yes, but free will will always be present.


----------



## skeels (Apr 8, 2013)

ilyti said:


> NOT A GOOD IDEA



Are those Legos?

Excuse me... are those Lego?


----------



## ilyti (Apr 8, 2013)

^ No, that's a Stargate SG1 reference. It's an android (gyndroid?) with a creature she has created, which is a giant bug that replicates itself out of base materials, and it doesn't like you. Replicator - Stargate Wiki


----------



## skeels (Apr 8, 2013)

Gotcha. Like the grey blob of self-replicating nano-droogs that run unchecked and consume the world. That sucks!

I would totally use my 3d printer to make Legos. 

Sorry, Lego.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 9, 2013)

skeels said:


> Gotcha. Like the grey blob of self-replicating nano-droogs that run unchecked and consume the world. That sucks!
> 
> I would totally use my 3d printer to make Legos.
> 
> Sorry, Lego.



Oh shit! If printing Lego pieces is cheaper than going out and buying Lego sets, this could put Lego out of business.


----------



## Rook (Apr 9, 2013)

I'm surprised it it took two pages, there is a real deal, genuine '3D printer' that can print skin grafts at my university. They're working on combining it with stem cell technology to 'print' kidneys and livers, and with some success I believe.

This shit is real guys.

And it isn't going to screw up manufacturing or service, everyone has to have the materials to 3D print for a start, and we're waaaaaaay off a product you have in your house that just prints a frickin iPod or something


----------



## Randy (Apr 10, 2013)

EdgeC said:


>



_"...you wouldn't print A CAR!"_


----------



## flint757 (Apr 10, 2013)

As for the US exclusively it wouldn't kill the manufacturing industry as the unit people might have in their homes someday would not be a molecular level 3D printer and it probably wouldn't be large enough/ complex enough/ good enough to print what the US actually makes (we import the majority of small basic things). If anything it would just mess with the retail market a bit, but then again they would just stop importing as much which also means less overall cost.

Something like this, like the internet and cell phones, will have a negative effect on the poor however. They are the demographic who won't be able to afford these gadgets and yet will most likely lose the other options originally available to them. Like when cell phones became prominent payphones practically disappeared as well as pagers. A lot of school related stuff is on the internet or requires some access to the internet yet many poor families only have access to the internet via libraries or staying at school after hours (which create a transportation problem). That's where the real problem is IMO, but is also unavoidable.



> Although the U.S. doesn't make a huge amount of consumer goods, as the world's single largest manufacturer (accounting for more than 20% of the world's total manufacturing output), the U.S. makes -- among many other things -- aircraft (Lockheed Martin, Boeing), missiles, space-related equipment, autos and auto parts (Ford, GM), farming equipment (John Deere), gas turbines for power plants (GE), and computer chips (HP, Intel).



What does the US manufacture


----------



## EdgeC (Apr 10, 2013)

Randy said:


> _"...you wouldn't print A CAR!"_


----------



## EdgeC (Apr 10, 2013)

ZEBOV said:


> Oh shit! If printing Lego pieces is cheaper than going out and buying Lego sets, this could put Lego out of business.


 
Also, the adult toy industry might be wanting to get its affairs in order.


----------



## ZEBOV (Apr 11, 2013)

EdgeC said:


> Also, the adult toy industry might be wanting to get its affairs in order.



Idk, the fleshlight is hard to beat.


----------



## vansinn (Apr 11, 2013)

Rook said:


> I'm surprised it it took two pages, there is a real deal, genuine '3D printer' that can print skin grafts at my university. They're working on combining it with stem cell technology to 'print' kidneys and livers, and with some success I believe.
> 
> This shit is real guys.
> 
> And it isn't going to screw up manufacturing or service, everyone has to have the materials to 3D print for a start, and we're waaaaaaay off a product you have in your house that just prints a frickin iPod or something



Exactly. While the technology is moving at a mind boggling rate, we're still a long shot away from many of the fantasized ideas - or are we:

A 3-D Printer Will Soon Print You New Organs / 2045 Initiative
Using 3-D Printing and Injectable Molds, Bioengineered Ears Look and Act Like the Real Thing / 2045 Initiative
3D-Printed Skull Implant Ready for Operation / 2045 Initiative
Scientists print self-assembling 'living tissue' / 2045 Initiative
Video: A 3-D Printed Silicone Robot Tentacle / 2045 Initiative (opensource DIY)


----------



## pink freud (Apr 11, 2013)

ZEBOV said:


> Idk, the fleshlight is hard to beat.



Isn't that the point of it in the first place?


----------



## Rook (Apr 11, 2013)

Ahahaaaaaaaaa


----------



## Volteau (Apr 14, 2013)

He thinks a 12 year old being able to order a firearm online without it being serialized is a thing of beauty.

Nut-job...

With Glenn Beck, another nut-job (I do like the fact that he mentions Foucault though):


----------

