3D Printers - I'm excited!

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Printing footballers.

We're building one that runs on stem cells at the new facility.

#whateverittakes
 
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sc...int-flexible-solar-panels-20130516-2joaj.html

Not 3D printing, but another example of the impending ability to print up items that used to be manufactured and delivered.

Australian scientists have found a way to print large but extremely lightweight and flexible solar panels like money.
World-leading scientists at the CSIRO said the A3-sized panels, which are created by laying a liquid photovoltaic ink onto thin, flexible plastic could soon mean everyone has the ability to print their own solar panels at home.
"It would definitely be feasible to do that," said CSIRO materials scientist Dr Scott Watkins.
"The general concept of being able to manufacture on demand, in a house or in a workplace, is really a key feature of what we're doing."
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Chief said:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sc...int-flexible-solar-panels-20130516-2joaj.html

Not 3D printing, but another example of the impending ability to print up items that used to be manufactured and delivered.
Click to expand...

NASA are exploring the possibility of print food.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9aW1atFLMM

3D Printing: Food in Space

751066main_space_food_226.jpg
Space food product development.

751087main_food_testing_226.jpg
Food tasting session in the Habitability and Environmental Factors Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
› Link to larger photo

751091main_iss_meal_226.jpg
Expedition 26 and STS-133 crew members share a meal in the Unity node of the International Space Station.
› Link to larger photo

751093main_iss_veggies_226.jpg
Arrival of fresh food and supplies delivered on the International Space Station.
› Link to larger photo NASA and a Texas company are exploring the possibility of using a "3D printer" on deep space missions in a way where the "D" would stand for dining.

NASA has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract to Systems and Materials Research Consultancy of Austin, Texas to study the feasibility of using additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing, for making food in space. Systems and Materials Research Consultancy will conduct a study for the development of a 3D printed food system for long duration space missions. Phase I SBIR proposals are very early stage concepts that may or may not mature into actual systems. This food printing technology may result in a phase II study, which still will be several years from being tested on an actual space flight.

As NASA ventures farther into space, whether redirecting an asteroid or sending astronauts to Mars, the agency will need to make improvements in life support systems, including how to feed the crew during those long deep space missions. NASA's Advanced Food Technology program is interested in developing methods that will provide food to meet safety, acceptability, variety, and nutritional stability requirements for long exploration missions, while using the least amount of spacecraft resources and crew time. The current food system wouldn't meet the nutritional needs and five-year shelf life required for a mission to Mars or other long duration missions. Because refrigeration and freezing require significant spacecraft resources, current NASA provisions consist solely of individually prepackaged shelf stable foods, processed with technologies that degrade the micronutrients in the foods.

Additionally, the current space food is selected before astronauts ever leave the ground and crew members don't have the ability to personalize recipes or really prepare foods themselves. Over long duration missions, a variety of acceptable food is critical to ensure crew members continue to eat adequate amounts of food, and consequently, get the nutrients they need to maintain their health and performance.

NASA is funding this phase I six-month $125,000 study on 3D printing of foods to determine the capability of this technology to enable nutrient stability and provide a variety of foods from shelf stable ingredients, while minimizing crew time and waste. NASA selected this proposal because the research team, subcontractors and consultants included premier food rheology and flavor expertise that would be required for a novel product development system. The work plan for this feasibility study also was well laid out and the technology offers the potential to meet some of the food requirements using basic food components for long duration missions.

NASA recognizes in-space and additive manufacturing offers the potential for new mission opportunities, whether "printing" food, tools or entire spacecraft. Additive manufacturing offers opportunities to get the best fit, form and delivery systems of materials for deep space travel. This's why NASA is a leading partner in the president's National Network for Manufacturing Innovation and the Advanced Manufacturing Initiative.

3D printing is just one of the many transformation technologies that NASA is investing in to create the new knowledge and capabilities needed to enable future space missions while benefiting life here on Earth.

Systems and Materials Research Consultancy proposal abstract is available online at http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/abst...-1-H12.04-9357.html?solicitationId=SBIR_12_P1

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Wouldn't think so.
 
Chief said:
I don't know: if I did I'd invent it and make a motza.
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I'd imagine at some point it could become possible in a basic form, probably more home project style stuff.


If they have the market, it would most likely drive the development into the area, certainly I think it would be foolish to completely dismiss the potential of such things.
 

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DonsRule said:
I'd imagine at some point it could become possible in a basic form, probably more home project style stuff.
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Or even 10-20 years from now: lose your car ignition wand and you or the dealer can print up a new one. Lose your TV remote and print a new one.

DonsRule said:
If they have the market, it would most likely drive the development into the area, certainly I think it would be foolish to completely dismiss the potential of such things.
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Chief said:
Or even 10-20 years from now: lose your car ignition wand cand you or the dealer can print up a new one. Lose your TV remote and print a new one.
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I'd probably take a guess to and say, it will take a generation or two for full circuit boards to be printed, will be a step at a time, working out how to print something efficiently that is conductive that can act as the circuit track as a stand along project and slowly build it up, a little like the NASA rockets article I posted above, first the need to single parts that are capable of working in the conditions required, non corrosive to fuels used, with stand temperatures, one step again, in this case too need to survive and function the same in different conditions of space.

It will be interesting to see where it all heads though, lots of cool potentials,
 
DonsRule said:
I'd probably take a guess to and say, it will take a generation or two for full circuit boards to be printed, will be a step at a time, working out how to print something efficiently that is conductive that can act as the circuit track as a stand along project and slowly build it up, a little like the NASA rockets article I posted above, first the need to single parts that are capable of working in the conditions required, non corrosive to fuels used, with stand temperatures, one step again, in this case too need to survive and function the same in different conditions of space.

It will be interesting to see where it all heads though, lots of cool potentials,
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I think it will grow quicker than we think. Look at printers 20 years ago, price and functions. Now we're looking at printing solar cells.
 
Chief said:
I think it will grow quicker than we think. Look at printers 20 years ago, price and functions. Now we're looking at printing solar cells.
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Probably should make that clearer, when I say a generation or two, I think it will be quickly moving generations, the scope is clearly massive if they can get it all right, manufacturing will be radically changed.

Space industry - I think because there is so much government funding in that area, it will move along quick, it is being pushed from many angles, as well as obviously private.

Even looking at this thread at applications that are being focused on show how wide spread it could be, I find space as one of the massive markets, instead of needing to transport all kinds of bulky equipment, the potential to be able to self manufacturing on site will be a huge cost saver, I forget where I read it, but it was as out there figure talking about how much wasted energy goes into rocket launches, even outside any deficiencies in chemical reaction in propellants, more weight that has to be lifted, more fuel, which in itself is more weight, that means larger tanks too, which again entails more weight, an almost endless cycle of 'waste' so there is a lot of money to be made
 
DonsRule said:
I'd probably take a guess to and say, it will take a generation or two for full circuit boards to be printed, will be a step at a time, working out how to print something efficiently that is conductive that can act as the circuit track as a stand along project and slowly build it up, a little like the NASA rockets article I posted above, first the need to single parts that are capable of working in the conditions required, non corrosive to fuels used, with stand temperatures, one step again, in this case too need to survive and function the same in different conditions of space.

It will be interesting to see where it all heads though, lots of cool potentials,
Click to expand...

I guess it will be just different media. So you lay down the bottom half of the board, change media, lay down the circuit path, then lay the top half of the board. Maybe you could even have different media cartridges just like a printer. They'll sell the printers for $100 and charge $1000 for cartridges. The more things change..
 
Beerfish said:
I guess it will be just different media. So you lay down the bottom half of the board, change media, lay down the circuit path, then lay the top half of the board. Maybe you could even have different media cartridges just like a printer. They'll sell the printers for $100 and charge $1000 for cartridges. The more things change..
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I think thats why it's a generation or two thing to be done right. it requires some vastly different layers, so how exactly they overcome that I am not sure, but if there is money ot be made, I am sure someone will find one.
 
Have had some stuff 3D printed before (not my own printer, but from the website below) Home printers for now are still not great in quality, alot of screwing around and that, however these large scale mass production printers are crazy. Semi pricey, but they could print details down to about .2 of a mm or something. Have seen someone print a working spanner, with moveable parts and everything. Sure, cheaper (and stronger) to buy a real spanner, but to think it was just made by layering plastic is insane. I think this site has predesigned stuff for sale, although i think that it's pricey.

http://www.shapeways.com/create?li=nav
 
magic_johnson! said:
Have had some stuff 3D printed before (not my own printer, but from the website below) Home printers for now are still not great in quality, alot of screwing around and that, however these large scale mass production printers are crazy. Semi pricey, but they could print details down to about .2 of a mm or something. Have seen someone print a working spanner, with moveable parts and everything. Sure, cheaper (and stronger) to buy a real spanner, but to think it was just made by layering plastic is insane. I think this site has predesigned stuff for sale, although i think that it's pricey.

http://www.shapeways.com/create?li=nav
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The prices can come down - but the real magic is in things like this little doo-dad:

http://www.shapeways.com/model/1150381/sprout.html?li=featured.3

How much money would it normally take to set up manufacturing and so on for something like that?

As prices come down, more and more people can put those types of devices into the market place. Eventually, with more and more people giving it a go, you get devices that really change lives for comparatively little start up cost.
 
Let's see someone do an oooozi 9mm now.
 
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