Comments on: Desktop Fabrication vs. The Future of Design http://www.allartburns.org/2008/05/01/desktop-fabrication-vs-the-future-of-design/ It does, you know. You just have to get it hot enough. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:34:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jet http://www.allartburns.org/2008/05/01/desktop-fabrication-vs-the-future-of-design/comment-page-1/#comment-19115 jet Tue, 06 May 2008 21:58:00 +0000 http://www.allartburns.org/?p=112#comment-19115 They will, to a point. I don't think any of the current technologies can be simplified the way DVD burners are due to things like the number of moving parts, the precision of those parts, and the complexity involved in operating it. Even the "cheap" machines -- $10K - $25K -- need service contracts and more regular maintenance than pretty much anything I've ever owned. They also tend to use things like hot lye baths to remove ABS from the print boards and make a fair amount of racket while they are in operation. On top of all that, using them is still not a matter of drawing something in SketchUp and selecting "Print". Oh, and good laser printers are still not cheap, they're just not as expensive as they used to be. However, most of us have inkjets which are cheap and semi-disposable but not useful for any sort of serious print jobs. In the same way we ended up with cheap inkjet printers instead of cheap laserjet printers, I'm not sure if SLS or FDM with ABS will be what ends up in your garage or home office. I'm guessing the common/home 3d printer will use some as-yet-uninvented media that can be created from locally recycled/reused goods. Or perhaps it will just use recyclable starch and if you want a hard good made you send it to FedEx/Kinko/RedEyeRpm for overnight manufacturing and next day delivery. On the other hand, if things like building codes and home insurance agreements are changed to forbid this sort of thing being in the home; if patent-enforcement and DRM are enforced similar to the DMCA's mechanism for media; and if the ConGlomCos can't figure out how to make a profit on it; we might never see them common in the home. They'll be the "printer for your newspaper" promised back in the 1960s that never materialized. They will, to a point. I don’t think any of the current technologies can be simplified the way DVD burners are due to things like the number of moving parts, the precision of those parts, and the complexity involved in operating it. Even the “cheap” machines — $10K – $25K — need service contracts and more regular maintenance than pretty much anything I’ve ever owned. They also tend to use things like hot lye baths to remove ABS from the print boards and make a fair amount of racket while they are in operation. On top of all that, using them is still not a matter of drawing something in SketchUp and selecting “Print”.

Oh, and good laser printers are still not cheap, they’re just not as expensive as they used to be. However, most of us have inkjets which are cheap and semi-disposable but not useful for any sort of serious print jobs.

In the same way we ended up with cheap inkjet printers instead of cheap laserjet printers, I’m not sure if SLS or FDM with ABS will be what ends up in your garage or home office. I’m guessing the common/home 3d printer will use some as-yet-uninvented media that can be created from locally recycled/reused goods. Or perhaps it will just use recyclable starch and if you want a hard good made you send it to FedEx/Kinko/RedEyeRpm for overnight manufacturing and next day delivery.

On the other hand, if things like building codes and home insurance agreements are changed to forbid this sort of thing being in the home; if patent-enforcement and DRM are enforced similar to the DMCA’s mechanism for media; and if the ConGlomCos can’t figure out how to make a profit on it; we might never see them common in the home. They’ll be the “printer for your newspaper” promised back in the 1960s that never materialized.

]]> By: Jamais Cascio http://www.allartburns.org/2008/05/01/desktop-fabrication-vs-the-future-of-design/comment-page-1/#comment-19114 Jamais Cascio Tue, 06 May 2008 21:45:12 +0000 http://www.allartburns.org/?p=112#comment-19114 So here's the million-dollar (or more, if it breaks the economy) question: what happens when the prices drop low enough for you to consider getting one at home? I remember when laser printers cost upwards of $5,000, in 1980s money, for something that wouldn't cost $100 today. Same with CD/DVD burners (I just bought an LG -- name brand -- DVD burner for a PC for $30). Why shouldn't fabbers/3D printers follow the same path? So here’s the million-dollar (or more, if it breaks the economy) question: what happens when the prices drop low enough for you to consider getting one at home?

I remember when laser printers cost upwards of $5,000, in 1980s money, for something that wouldn’t cost $100 today. Same with CD/DVD burners (I just bought an LG — name brand — DVD burner for a PC for $30). Why shouldn’t fabbers/3D printers follow the same path?

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