Technology advances

In their new factory in the states, Slingshot the kitesurf company I represent over here, have just installed some pretty advanced technology, lots of CAD stuff for cutting and forming boards, a new laser cutter which can do some amazing detail, channels and rail profiling, but the bit of kit I'd not fully appreciated until now is their 3D printer.

Then in todays news by chance, there's an article about someone having 3D printed a bloody gun, honestly this really is science fiction becomes fact stuff, you can see the day arriving where you order the bit on line then print it yourself.

Anyway they have re jigged some bits of next seasons kite control bar using 3D printing technology and were amazed themselves that the prototypes they 'printed' were tough enough to be used on the water. They showed us a fully working adjustable spanner and talked about balls being printed inside other balls and being able to produce some pretty impossible to manufacture stuff using this method.

I just wondered what else anyone knows about this stuff, I know they have them in Universities and that the prices are coming down. They also talked about being able to 'print' in titanium and the technology is not that new and has been around in the space programme and other high end arms technology producing facilities but that the patents have just expired, hence the tech trickling to a wider audience, so how long will it be till we all have them I wonder and can just go and print ourselves new bits of whatever..

We've been using "Rapid prototyping" for years in our business... But as you say these "3D printers" are becoming more & more common... In fact we've just had a chat here at work about the gun you mention & the morals behind doing it etc..... We put it in the same category as going online & downloading data & info to produce a bomb... same thing really..... Nasty nasty.....

The new materials used in RP can mimic the sorts of materials that you'd make the thing from in a production setting using injection moulding or casting processes....... It just comes down to cost. The machines to produce stereo lithography parts - in my opinion, the most accurate / finest finish  RP process, are rather pricey.... we out source our RP at present.....

3D printers are the cheapest option & are often installed in colleges & schools to teach students about design & technology etc where the funds exist, but the finish of the items produced are somewhat grainy when you start looking closely & some materials not so stable being prone to warping etc.... But there's new materials & methods coming on stream all the time....... 

Scale model of a much larger Dutch beach walking machine. Was very impressive

make a whistle or a dolly of yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsz9GUZv1IA

I guess it's all down to the stuff they use to print, imagine that graphene stuff, one molecule thick being used to 'print' bits..

Why we might even get bits that work and you don't have to scrabble around looking for the cir clip you just dropped in the boat park.