3D printers for home use!

Hey we'd love to see some part pictures!

p.s., you can edit your posts, click on that little pencil below it...

    The last you should be your....forgot to proof read

I just purchased A Replicator 2 last month and i have been finding all manner of uses for it.  I find its great for dioramas buildings and figures. I have also made specialized tools for assembly.    I have a few friends who are interested in N scale and HO scale trains who want one off pieces as well.  The only limits are the time it takes to learn how use it, The 100 micron resolution and you imagination.

This would come in really handy right now considering I just spent the last 3 days looking for a lost kit part.

/forums/t/147231.aspx

waikong

Actually I just read (forget where) that one of the cottage resin aftermarket makers used a 3d printer to create a master.

I do it too. Have a look: Click Here

I saw ModelManTom's YouTube series last year on the MakerBot 3D extruder.  After he built it, with some modifications to allow for making larger pieces, he tried to make a model of the TARDIS from Doctor Who.  The technology is intriguing, but the model extruder he had available at the time created a 3D piece that showed a lot of marks from each layer of plastic that the extruder laid down as it followed the pattern file around in 3 dimensions.  I thought that we're still some years away for cheap and reliable versions of this technology, despite the gushing over 3D printing that has appeared in the media from time to time.

Could either of these be the article?

http://agapemodels.com/?p=6024

http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=237609

Actually I just read (forget where) that one of the cottage resin aftermarket makers used a 3d printer to create a master.

VanceCrozier

 

Sprue-ce Goose:

 

Don Stauffer:

Sprue-ce Goose:

Not everyone designs in AutoCAD , but purchasing and downloading the finished CAM design ( via a  suitably fast network )  is feasible. Might eventually be another ITunes type download if network bandwidth speeds and prices are reasonable.

AutoCAD of course is a very expensive professional CAD program, but Autodesk, the company that sells AutoCAD has a very nice, and much cheaper CAD program called Autosketch.  In spite of the name, it is a full CAD program (though 2D only- no 3D).  Don't know if the files would be compatible with a 3D printer or not

Metal working machines need their own software to translate the AutoCad design into machine code that tells the motors on the machines what to do, ie; how many "steps" ( fractions of a turn) to take, how fast to turn and long to run in each direction ( X,Y,Z )

I presume the 3D printers use their own software to interpret the AutoCAD design.

 

 

....kinda glad now that I had taken 2 CAD and a CAM course in high school - it could be useful after all!!!

You can be Manny's aide, creating 3D models of - models..........

Sprue-ce Goose

 

Don Stauffer:

 

 

Sprue-ce Goose:

 

Not everyone designs in AutoCAD , but purchasing and downloading the finished CAM design ( via a  suitably fast network )  is feasible. Might eventually be another ITunes type download if network bandwidth speeds and prices are reasonable.

AutoCAD of course is a very expensive professional CAD program, but Autodesk, the company that sells AutoCAD has a very nice, and much cheaper CAD program called Autosketch.  In spite of the name, it is a full CAD program (though 2D only- no 3D).  Don't know if the files would be compatible with a 3D printer or not

 

 

Metal working machines need their own software to translate the AutoCad design into machine code that tells the motors on the machines what to do, ie; how many "steps" ( fractions of a turn) to take, how fast to turn and long to run in each direction ( X,Y,Z )

I presume the 3D printers use their own software to interpret the AutoCAD design.

....kinda glad now that I had taken 2 CAD and a CAM course in high school - it could be useful after all!!!

Don Stauffer

 

Sprue-ce Goose:

 

Not everyone designs in AutoCAD , but purchasing and downloading the finished CAM design ( via a  suitably fast network )  is feasible. Might eventually be another ITunes type download if network bandwidth speeds and prices are reasonable.

AutoCAD of course is a very expensive professional CAD program, but Autodesk, the company that sells AutoCAD has a very nice, and much cheaper CAD program called Autosketch.  In spite of the name, it is a full CAD program (though 2D only- no 3D).  Don't know if the files would be compatible with a 3D printer or not

Metal working machines need their own software to translate the AutoCad design into machine code that tells the motors on the machines what to do, ie; how many "steps" ( fractions of a turn) to take, how fast to turn and long to run in each direction ( X,Y,Z )

I presume the 3D printers use their own software to interpret the AutoCAD design.

Hans von Hammer

 

mitsdude:

 

 

One step closer to Star Treks replicator.

 

 

 

I wrote about that in another thread...   I can see it now..

"Panzer IV, Ausf F,  2nd Panzer Division, winter camouflage, December 1942, Eastern front., 1/35th scale"...

Phooey to it...

 

Probably end up looking like the pre-built display armor models that were sold at Wally-Mart.....

mitsdude

 

One step closer to Star Treks replicator.

 

I wrote about that in another thread...   I can see it now..

"Panzer IV, Ausf F,  2nd Panzer Division, winter camouflage, December 1942, Eastern front., 1/35th scale"...

Phooey to it...

Sprue-ce Goose

Not everyone designs in AutoCAD , but purchasing and downloading the finished CAM design ( via a  suitably fast network )  is feasible. Might eventually be another ITunes type download if network bandwidth speeds and prices are reasonable.

AutoCAD of course is a very expensive professional CAD program, but Autodesk, the company that sells AutoCAD has a very nice, and much cheaper CAD program called Autosketch.  In spite of the name, it is a full CAD program (though 2D only- no 3D).  Don't know if the files would be compatible with a 3D printer or not (but then there is no guarantee that a .DXF file would be either.  And, for that matter, Autosketch does allow saving in DXF though it is not the native file format and that save as function does sometimes create problems.  Anyway I use Autosketch a lot in my modeling, even for such activities as laying out inkjet decals, or patterns and templates for placing kit decals.

There are even cheaper CAD programs, such as versions of TurboCAD, so I don't think having to have a CAD program will be too big a barrier to serious modelers.

After receiving the CAD file from RoG you could also go in and "modify" the designs to produce variations or "what-if's".

One step closer to Star Treks replicator.

Tojo72

 

Sprue-ce Goose:

 

This article gives an introduction to 3D printing basics

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/29/mobile-apps-offer-3-d-printing-via-the-cloud-video/

 

 

 

thank you,that link was interesting and informative.

don't know if this old dog can learn the new tricks though.

Glad it helped.

As for learning new tricks-

may take another five to ten years ( depending on world economic health ) before prices and access bring the process to enough customers that RoG or other model manufacturers begin to seriously consider  offering a few basic  "kits" for sale or download.

Plenty of time to save up and learn.

I believe we will all know 3D printers have gone "mainstream" when contest winners brag they made their own detail parts using those machines.

Sprue-ce Goose

This article gives an introduction to 3D printing basics

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/29/mobile-apps-offer-3-d-printing-via-the-cloud-video/

thank you,that link was interesting and informative.

don't know if this old dog can learn the new tricks though.

This article gives an introduction to 3D printing basics

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/04/29/mobile-apps-offer-3-d-printing-via-the-cloud-video/

Forgive me for being hi-tech challenged,but how can you print a model at home ? what material will it be ? I don't understand what we are talking about here.I need it explained in idiot terms

Not everyone designs in AutoCAD , but purchasing and downloading the finished CAM design ( via a  suitably fast network )  is feasible. Might eventually be another ITunes type download if network bandwidth speeds and prices are reasonable.

Mmmm......Soylent Green pizza ..............

The "printing" of models on a 3D printer is quite possible. You would only need 2 "ink cartridges", one for the solid parts and one for the clear parts. It probably would be possible to have multiple materials and "print" the parts in their final colors. Also, the part would not have to be ejected from the mold and much more detail could be created. Mold seams, flash and virtually all other flaws would be a thing of the past.

The manufacturer would probably not want to send the plans and let a person create as many copies of the model as they wanted. There would have to be some way to send the model so it would be "printed" and then be destroyed.

These things will be more in demand than you think. They aren't needed in every house. How many people really sit around and draw 3D shapes in autocad? However, a lot of small engineering and machine shops, along with anyone else who does 3D design will start picking these things up. Pretty soon they will be under a thousand dollars for a  decent version.

I can remember twenty years ago, when personal computers were just getting started, and the first printers (dot matrix or daisy wheel) cost a fortune, and lasers were even more expensive.  But then, everyone with a computer really needed a printer, so prices came down tremendously.   I suppose the market for 3D prototyping machines won't be nearly as great, unless someone can come up with a killer ap for them so  the average folks- not just modelers- see a need for them.

I remember not that long ago when these things cost a quarter to a half million dollars, were the size of a refrigerator, and a serious pain in the butt to use.

The fact they are small, and down to under $1500 means the aftermarket model parts world is going to change remarkably in the next 5 years.

ahhhh - printable pizza. Just load it up with a bottle of Soylent Green & print away....

"You wouldnt steal a pizza"

The **** i wouldnt. Download me some pizza. Print out, mmmmmmmm instant awesome.

How long ago were regular paper printers that price?

Here is a nice example of 3d printing:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/345981/1-144scale-sd-kfz-4-1-15cm-panzerwerfer-42.html

These 3d printers will certainly drop in price. And there are already some companies that use them to produce parts. and models. Just have a look on shapeways.com: http://www.shapeways.com/gallery/miniatures It is all a bit crude and rough now but that will probably improve to.

And Revell Germany believes that in the future you will have a 3d printer in your home and just download there designs. They are actively thinking about how this will change there business model.

My wife's an architect and has used 3D printers for architectural models. The technology is amazing and when the price comes down, it will be an amazing tool for model makers. The time may come where instead of buying a model kit, you will download the 3D CAD file for the 3D printer to fabricate the pieces.