I have a 3D printer (Makerbot 2, not really low end, cost ~$2000), so let me correct a couple of misconceptions in this thread:
3D printed parts can be, and usually are, quite strong. The strength of a part is directional—the parts are much stronger in the direction parallel to the filament deposition than in the perpendicular direction. But door handles and the like are no problem at all. The parts can also be strong and very light, because printing the inside volume as a honeycomb mesh is possible (and is the default option at least on the printer driver I am using)
The labout input in actually making a part is minimal, surely less than a trip to the store to buy one. Currently, the labour-intensive part is finding or producing the right design—but once the design is made, it can in theory be available to anyone in the world to use. “Thingiverse” is an attempt to collate the various designs, unfortunately it is full of sub-mediocre stuff and not sufficiently easy to navigate around.
I have literally hundreds of 3D printed objects around me right now, most are models of industrial plants and boats. But I have also made a few everyday objects that I otherwise would have had trouble getting at all, including:
A control knob for my amplifier, the original was lost somewhere
A knob for window wiper control for my car
The little thing that you pull to open the door in the car
A hard-to-explain bracket that holds a milk shelf in my fridge
Now that i have made the models (and it was fun to do, so was there a labour “cost”?), these things above should be available on the ’net for anyone… I feel kinda bad for not doing that, but the problem is this: How do I identify say the fridge bracket, so that people can find it? OK, its a Fisher and Paykel 350 l fridge, model ABC-1234 or w/e, but then...? Now if the fridge maker provided the design on their web site, we’d be getting somewhere, and if 3D printers have sufficient penetration, perhaps they will one day.
I think that at the moment 3D printers (for home use) are toys. Certainly, cool toys and I’ve been tempted to get one a few times. But then I realize that while the magic of materializing physical objects out of bytes and some plastic filament is great, I just don’t need many (if any) small uneven pieces of plastic.
The claim that I objected to at the start of this sub-thread is that a 3D printer is now a cost-effective method of producing useful household objects. I didn’t think so and I still don’t think so. Saving money on a 50-cent bracket via buying a $1,000 printer doesn’t look particularly rational to me. Maybe things will change in a few years. We’ll see.
cool toys and I’ve been tempted to get one a few times
If you can use a 3D design program like Google Sketchup—do it! It is a cool toy, it is at least of minor practical use, and you might catch a wave to the future.
Saving money on a 50-cent bracket via buying a $1,000 printer doesn’t look particularly rational to me
Naturally. But throwing away a $1000 item for the lack of some stupid bracket that should cost 50 cents but can’t be had for any money AFAICT is not great either...
I agree—but I don’t find its output either cool or useful enough. When the 3D metal printers come down in price, I might reconsider. I find things like this considerably more appealing, but maybe that’s just me.
But throwing away a $1000 item for the lack of some stupid bracket that should cost 50 cents but can’t be had for any money AFAICT is not great either...
I have a 3D printer (Makerbot 2, not really low end, cost ~$2000), so let me correct a couple of misconceptions in this thread:
3D printed parts can be, and usually are, quite strong. The strength of a part is directional—the parts are much stronger in the direction parallel to the filament deposition than in the perpendicular direction. But door handles and the like are no problem at all. The parts can also be strong and very light, because printing the inside volume as a honeycomb mesh is possible (and is the default option at least on the printer driver I am using)
The labout input in actually making a part is minimal, surely less than a trip to the store to buy one. Currently, the labour-intensive part is finding or producing the right design—but once the design is made, it can in theory be available to anyone in the world to use. “Thingiverse” is an attempt to collate the various designs, unfortunately it is full of sub-mediocre stuff and not sufficiently easy to navigate around.
I have literally hundreds of 3D printed objects around me right now, most are models of industrial plants and boats. But I have also made a few everyday objects that I otherwise would have had trouble getting at all, including:
A control knob for my amplifier, the original was lost somewhere
A knob for window wiper control for my car
The little thing that you pull to open the door in the car
A hard-to-explain bracket that holds a milk shelf in my fridge
Now that i have made the models (and it was fun to do, so was there a labour “cost”?), these things above should be available on the ’net for anyone… I feel kinda bad for not doing that, but the problem is this: How do I identify say the fridge bracket, so that people can find it? OK, its a Fisher and Paykel 350 l fridge, model ABC-1234 or w/e, but then...? Now if the fridge maker provided the design on their web site, we’d be getting somewhere, and if 3D printers have sufficient penetration, perhaps they will one day.
I think that at the moment 3D printers (for home use) are toys. Certainly, cool toys and I’ve been tempted to get one a few times. But then I realize that while the magic of materializing physical objects out of bytes and some plastic filament is great, I just don’t need many (if any) small uneven pieces of plastic.
The claim that I objected to at the start of this sub-thread is that a 3D printer is now a cost-effective method of producing useful household objects. I didn’t think so and I still don’t think so. Saving money on a 50-cent bracket via buying a $1,000 printer doesn’t look particularly rational to me. Maybe things will change in a few years. We’ll see.
If you can use a 3D design program like Google Sketchup—do it! It is a cool toy, it is at least of minor practical use, and you might catch a wave to the future.
Naturally. But throwing away a $1000 item for the lack of some stupid bracket that should cost 50 cents but can’t be had for any money AFAICT is not great either...
I agree—but I don’t find its output either cool or useful enough. When the 3D metal printers come down in price, I might reconsider. I find things like this considerably more appealing, but maybe that’s just me.
Never had this happen to me, ever :-P