3 D Printer

[cabinetman]

Think of the possibilities.

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[pelligrini]

This tech has been around a while, it's getting a lot more affordable and accurate. The powdered type with binders seem to be the way to go.

Cool Stuff. We looked at doing architectural models. They're still running around the same cost as having someone build one though.

[Tom Slick]

The type that print in ABS plastic make usable structural parts but are slow and expensive. The powder/binder type make fairly rough parts but prints much quicker. Both have advantages.

Here's another cool use for 3d printers

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

[crybdr]

Z-corp sure has come a long way from my first experience with their rapid prototyping technology. It used to be a 'starch' based system - and the parts, while accurate, were very fragile. It's interesting how they are using what looks like a standard ink-jet print cartridge to add the color to their parts - pretty smart.

There are other companies like Stratasys, 3DSystems, and Objet that deliver similar solutions - with different properties.

I've also had the opportunity to see some actual 'metal' parts created in a manner similar to this - the company name escapes me.....

For the hobbyist, MakerBot Industries (http://www.makerbot.com/) manufactures and sells kits to make your own 'homebrew' FDM 3D printer. They call it the 'Thing-O-Matic'. It's a little crude compared to the machines we have at work - but for 1/20th the cost - it seems like a nice option for someone willing to deal with a little inconvenience.

[cwsmith]

Back in 2002, when I worked for Dresser-Rand, we had a local company come in and propose that they could make models of our very large (several tons) gas-process compressors. I think our engineers were skeptical, but we supplied them with some 3-D solids geometry. They came back a couple of weeks later with this unbelievably detailed scaled model, complete with foundation, piping, and bottle details... everything that was on the 3-D drawing was in the model.

Management wouldn't disclose the company or the cost of the model, but it sure beat any of the wood or plastic modeling that anyone had done in the past.

In this case, it was obvious that it was a powder-build up, but at the time I knew nothing of the process.

On a much simpler, smaller, and cost scale there is this company in the NYC area.... http://www.makerbot.com/

Sort of on the scale of being affordable for some home hobbyist. It uses ABS plastic "thread" which is extruded through a "glue-gun" like 3-D and builds the object up on a computer controlled moving platform.

From what I've seen the objects are lacking in great, smooth surface detail, but the part is still durable and funcitionable. Good perhaps for making small parts etc.

Just imagine where the future of all this is going to take us,

CWS