Do you think 3d printers will become commonplace in homes?

[Kaido]

Anyone else have any opinions on the future of 3d printing?

The prints will get quicker, the resolution will get finer, and the materials will improve, but ultimately I think it's going to be a hobbyist kind of device. The majority of people out there don't have the design or assembly skills to really put it to good use, so it's going to take someone who is creative & understands CAD and design to fully utilize it. For those types of people - the creatives, the engineers, and so on - it will be a wonderful tool, but as much as I'd like to see a $99 HP 3D printer at Staples, I don't know what effect it would really ever have on your life. Daydreaming about it opens up a lot of possibilities, but the reality of using it is really, really different. Kind of like how drones are amazing and most of us buy them as toys, fly them half a dozen times, and then they sit on the shelf forever. Amazing technology, but we'll see how it really pans out for home use.

 

[11thHour]

3D printers will be mainstream as soon as someone that understands why ipads, apps, and k-cups are hugely successful takes a crack at the industry.

 

[Kaido]

Pretty cool 3D-printed stuff:

http://imgur.com/gallery/skc8B

 

[MongGrel]

3D printers are not going to be J.A.R.V.I.S anywhere in the near future.

 

[WelshBloke]

Pretty cool 3D-printed stuff:

http://imgur.com/gallery/skc8B

Those are cool but would you buy a printer to make them?

 

[Phoenix86]

Those are cool but would you buy a printer to make them?

Seriously, who would ever use gears for anything?

 

[WelshBloke]

Seriously, who would ever use gears for anything?

How often do you need to print out plastic gears?

It would have to be a shit ton of times to cover the price of a printer.

 

[Phoenix86]

How often do you need to print out plastic gears?

It would have to be a shit ton of times to cover the price of a printer.

Let me rephrase your question.

How often do you need a plastic part less complex than that gear?

Ever hang a picture? Print your own drywall screw and hangar.

Don't look at your feet, look up a bit. Resolution and size limits are already pretty decent and will only improve. Plastics are the start, affordable metal and ceramics will be here soon too.

 

[WelshBloke]

Let me rephrase your question.

How often do you need a plastic part less complex than that gear?

Hardly ever? Well certainly not often enough to design one in CAD and buy a printer.

Ever hang a picture? Print your own drywall screw and hangar.

I have brick walls. Bits of printed plastic won't get far with them.
Seriously though, you don't have shit loads of stuff like that in a box somewhere?

Don't look at your feet, look up a bit. Resolution and size limits are already pretty decent and will only improve. Plastics are the start, affordable metal and ceramics will be here soon too.

Yeah but I'll bet that home printed stuff is always going to work out more expensive and of lesser quality than traditionally machined stuff or stuff made on an extremely expensive commercial printer.

 

[Howard]

Seriously, who would ever use gears for anything?

I need them to tie together a potentiometer shaft and a needle valve stem for a home project of mine...

 

[Crono]

There a lot of little things you can make with a 3D printer.

Got an XYZ DaVinci 3D printer last week. So far I used it to print out a soap dish off Thingiverse, and am currently printing a scale model of a PC case I'm making later on. Going to print a Raving Rabbid cookie cutter (super easy to design with Cookie Caster) tomorrow for sugar cookies, and print a holder for flash drives after that. I have about two dozen other things I want to design (or download/customize a design someone else made) and print out, including a Raspberry Pi case, a keychain or two, a stand for my phone, a tablet mount... and the list keeps growing.

I can see them becoming much more commonplace in a few years, especially when quality and speed goes up.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Let me rephrase your question.

How often do you need a plastic part less complex than that gear?

Ever hang a picture? Print your own drywall screw and hangar.

Don't look at your feet, look up a bit. Resolution and size limits are already pretty decent and will only improve. Plastics are the start, affordable metal and ceramics will be here soon too.

Yeah I had to replace a knob in my car that cost about 20 bucks. A freaking knob! Would have been pretty easy to 3D print one if I can get precise enough measurements of the existing one (specifically the part the shaft goes into). Heck something more complex like a car handle will probably set you back 100 bucks.

But I guess in general I see these mostly being used by robotics/drone hobbyists, not just to fix stuff.

If ever I get into drones I'd probably end up buying one so I can make parts for the drone. Actually probably cool for home automation too, can make DIN rail parts too. Lots of things they are good for, but as far as general public buying one I don't imagine it will happen any time soon. Heck even a regular paper printer is practically a niche thing now, it's crazy the amount of times I have to print stuff for people.

I was thinking, it would be awesome if someone made a large ice 3D printer. Connected to the hose using a heated hose connector and print ice sculptures outside. Or you just feed it with snow and it melts it.

 

[sdifox]

Your 3D printed knob will not have the shear strength of the injection moulded original. And will cost more than 20 to make.

 

[WelshBloke]

Your 3D printed knob

HehHehHeh.

Now that's a use people would pay for. You could put it on the box.

"Your knob! Now printed in 3D!"

 

[zinfamous]

Pretty cool 3D-printed stuff:

http://imgur.com/gallery/skc8B

What would I do with those, other than trying to sell them for $10 each at Spencer's Gifts?

 

[Phoenix86]

What would I do with those, other than trying to sell them for $10 each at Spencer's Gifts?

Sell them on etsy for $40?

 

[Fenixgoon]

i think 3d printing in the home is a long ways off for common uses. there's just too many technical optimizations to get a decently printed part, even with PLA filaments (let alone metal or ceramic parts). hobbyists are already enjoying the benefits though. from a commercial perspective, there is a huge push for 3d printing (more generically, "additive manufacturing") capability in the aerospace industry.

aerospace components are relatively low volume and have complicated geometries. this means that traditional manufacturing methods result in long processing times. for large structural parts, this might mean a closed die forging to reduce material waste and improve properties, but that results in extremely long lead times. hand forgings don't have quite as good properties, but now you have much more material waste because the part on takes a small amount of volume out of your starting stock..

for example, a forged wing spar might have a 6month lead time at the forging house. then it needs to be machined down to the right size. your buy-to-fly might be 10:1 (10x more material bought than used in the final product).

additive manufacturing, on the other hand, allows for parts to be made near-net-shape in minimal time. your part lead time might be 1 month instead of 6. and because it's closer to net shape, you have less machining and less material waste. your buy-to-fly goes way down.

some aircraft are already making use of additive manufacturing technologies where it makes sense to do so - high cost, long lead-time items.

the trickiest part to additive manufacturing is qualifying the material and process. showing that your process is repeatable and reliable so you're getting consistently produced parts. this is a lot tougher than it sounds, especially on the defense side of things.

 

[sdifox]

HehHehHeh.

Now that's a use people would pay for. You could put it on the box.

"Your knob! Now printed in 3D!"

You missed the part where I said low shear strength. Use it you lose it :awe: