Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Alex Heartnet on December 21, 2011, 08:04:14 pm
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3D printers just got completely awesome. (http://youtu.be/5n-APFrlXDs)
Naturally, you would not believe me at all (http://www.makergear.com/) if I did not list (http://www.strategy-business.com/article/11307?gko=63624) numerous sources. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_fabricator) When I learned about this, (http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/21152/?nlid=1244&a=f) my job dropped. :eek: (http://socialtimes.com/3d-printer-video_b69969)
Now, the social ramifications of this are just... (http://www.stortsfamily.com/?p=30175) this is mind blowing. (http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/21/3-d-printing-the-napster-of-manufacturing/?iref=allsearch) The big corporations won't be able to do what ordinary people can do. (http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com/2011/01/alternative-economics.html)
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all thanks to dirt cheap cnc machines from china!
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all thanks to dirt cheap cnc machines from china!
Oh, once these become available to use by the general public we won't even need chinese manufacturing anymore! If I need a new fabricator I can just buy one from a local company, or buy the blueprints to make one using my friend's fabricator.
The chinese can produce their own fabricators, to make their own goods for their own use.
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they are, you just have to, you know, buy them.
next year im going to get either a 3d printer or a laser cutter, i havent decided yet.
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That will become a lot more viable as they get cheaper and cheaper. They are currently just a tad too expensive to be an household item.
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only about equivalent to an upper mid range pc.
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Why do I have that feeling that what could be the greatest technological leap in the history of mankind is gonna be an ugly mess thanks to huge misuses of copyright and patent law as certain large corporations and cartells fight obsolescence.
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it will be a lot like software piracy actually. large companies protecting their copyrights from hordes of people with fabrication machines churning out copies of patented and copyrighted objects. there will be a mad quest to prevent the exchange of design files used to produce certain objects. the idea is design files will be released under open source license, much like code is now. open source hardware concepts are already being applied to pcb fabrication for electronics, and as more people get fabrication machines it will apply to anything that can be cut, printed, or milled. but im all for taking down these large corporations who have been selling our country to china bit by bit for decades. just be glad we have another way to **** back.
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Nuke,
It might be more economical to get a laser cutter, as the printing medium for 3D printers is fairly expensive from everything I've heard. Mind you, cardboard and balsa wood are not as interesting as formed plastic, but there you go.
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it will be a lot like software piracy actually.
Possibly worse... if patent laws were to be brought to bear against individuals just making stuff for themselves virtually anyone could be sued.
Those shotgun style litigation threaths could florish like never before. Patent laws being as they are individuals wouldn't even know what they are guilty of just that they are "propably" guilty of "something" just by making "something" for themselves. lol.
I.e. Our law system could quite easily choke... what could be considered the biggest invention since the wheel - no less - to death.
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patents were meant to protect small time inventors, not corporations. id love to see it collapse in on itself, much like shotgun litigation failed the music industry.
it actually occurred to me the other day that piracy is somewhat misdefined. it used to be back in the 80s that piracy was done by criminal organizations, making counterfeit copies of movies, music, and games and selling them as new. this is why old vhs movies have the fbi warning at the beginning. nobody really gave a **** that people were copying tapes, recording radio and tv broadcasts, and things like that until organized crime started doing it. software piracy in china back in the 90s, was this kind of piracy, people were still buying software, it was just from organized crime instead of an authorized distributor. what people are doing when they download music/movies/games/software is technically not piracy, since profits are not being made by unauthorized parties. the thing being pirated was profits, not media. somehow in the last couple of decades non-profit piracy by individuals got lumped in on top of the old definition of piracy and was considered an equal crime.
but back on topic, when people start pirating plans for physical objects, and start mass producing these things on their cnc equipment. that wont be noticed, however when a few of those people try to sell what they are producing, thats when the **** will hit the fan. no one wants to see other people making their money.
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I recommend Charles Stross' Rule 34 for a very cool discussion about the impact of widespread 3D printers.
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it will be a lot like software piracy actually. large companies protecting their copyrights from hordes of people with fabrication machines churning out copies of patented and copyrighted objects. there will be a mad quest to prevent the exchange of design files used to produce certain objects. the idea is design files will be released under open source license, much like code is now. open source hardware concepts are already being applied to pcb fabrication for electronics, and as more people get fabrication machines it will apply to anything that can be cut, printed, or milled. but im all for taking down these large corporations who have been selling our country to china bit by bit for decades. just be glad we have another way to **** back.
:yes: Well said, Nuke
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On a more pessimistic note, I can imagine it being much harder for law enforcement to track down criminal activity as this technology advances. Think about it. Unlimited untraceable guns and ammo. (Or anything else a criminal might need.) And if the material is reusable (and fabs are in common use by the public) you could take ANYthing and turn it into warez. Cue criminal organizations robbing entire shipments of fab material.
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Nuke,
It might be more economical to get a laser cutter, as the printing medium for 3D printers is fairly expensive from everything I've heard. Mind you, cardboard and balsa wood are not as interesting as formed plastic, but there you go.
i think its probably better to laser cut parts from stock materials and assemble them, that it is to have 3d printed objects (which for makerbot/reprap limits you to abs plastic). they also have size limitations. you can print parts in puzzle piece fashion which can be joined together for larger assemblies. some large parts also experience warping and your design must compensate for this. so those plastic printers are really limited in what they can do. laser cutters have their limitations as well. the beam is not straight, so edges are cut at a very slight angle. you cant really cut hard corners. metals are hard to cut, but i hear if you blacken the surface it can be done. one technique involves cutting finger joints directly into the materials, and this allows them to be joined together. acrylic is one of the best materials to use for laser cutters. it cuts smoothly, and can be chemically bonded with large amounts of super glue (in some cases its impossible to see the joints). whatever kinda machine i get it will be badass. should point out laser cutters are cheaper, so i might just go with that.
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3d printers are sort of like a really low tech replicator :p
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Great post. I tend to skim these kinds of videos but this one was so fascinating (and it's not even new) that I just kept watching it until the end. I can see this being highly disruptive as social media and the internet are being disruptive today. Fascinating stuff!
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I haven't watched the videos yet, but I can't wait. Once I get about $2,000 of extra cash (whenever that'll be), it's on my list to get a 3D printer. Laser cutters are cool but they are indeed expensive; the one they use in the aero design lab at my uni costs $12,000. The 3D printer that prints in ABS plastic is a $150,000 model.
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A lot of first-generation 3D printers are shockingly expensive. Fortunately, the price will continue to drop down. If you want inexpensive, you might consider producing a rep-rap machine, which shouldn't cost more than 4500 USD, and that might even be a cost overshoot.
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the idea behind these machines is that they can make most of their own parts. you still have to buy motors, electronics, and other metal parts. this is supposed to lower the cost a lot. reprap i think is a build it yourself kinda thing. you can buy a kit but you still got to put it together.
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the idea behind these machines is that they can make most of their own parts. you still have to buy motors, electronics, and other metal parts. this is supposed to lower the cost a lot. reprap i think is a build it yourself kinda thing. you can buy a kit but you still got to put it together.
Just check the links on the wiki page... there are quite a few vendors who not only sell kits, but also fully assembled ones.
Quite a few modded and upgraded ones too ;)
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Computer, i want some klingon blood wine.
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Computer, i want some klingon blood wine.
"Computer, I want an apple" looks like a distinct possibility now... just don't try to eat it :)
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Tea, Earl Grey, Hot. [8 hours later...] *sip* *gaaaaack!*