3D printing at home for $400

[Alex Franke]

This is very cool. It's a self-replicating rapid prototyper (3D printer) project aiming for a $400 price point. There's a version of it called Tommelise that brings the cost down to $100-150 if you have some woodworking tools.

http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/ShowCase

I can't wait for the day I can design a 3D part in the computer, and just send it off to the printer to have it fabricated. Commercial rapid prototypers cost about $20K. That's probably a heck of a lot less than the first laser printer back in the 70's! (Xerox? Cost? Model? Anyone know for sure?)

[p8ntblr]

Yah I heard about it a while back. I believe the technology has been out for a while but just way too expensive for consumers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JD3KW_rdr0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wTydnYmDrM

[atgcpaul]

Very cool. Maybe when they get more developed, Google will buy them out,
market the instrument, and use Sketchup as the 3D modeling environment.

Get that thing to add some chicken flavor and you're on your way to a Star Trek
replicator.