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Post by goodguyinar416 on Apr 8, 2014 11:42:36 GMT -5
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Post by TooOld on Apr 9, 2014 13:38:05 GMT -5
That looks pretty interesting , and is a good start towards affordable 3D printers for home use . By the time this is available ( 2016 ? ) there should be many more on t he market . I just got a 3D drawing program to learn how to design parts to use in a printer and it's pretty involved , especially for a beginner like me . I doubt we'll ever be able to just scan an existing part and then print an exact copy , that requires a 3 axis laser scanner which costs a lot more than the printers do ! If you're interested in designing parts and having someone print them for you , check out Shapeways . www.shapeways.com/Someone on another forum had them print this 1/24 scale race car chassis . The cost was $24.95 . Of course I'm sure he spent many many hours designing it on his computer !  |
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Post by harron68 on Apr 9, 2014 17:49:52 GMT -5
I'm not sure this is a great thing for the hobby. Buy a printer and software programs and feed in the plastic to be melted and shaped. There's not much of your own creating to it. I was afraid as these became more affordable they would take much of the craft, inventiveness and all from the hobby. I guess we'll see. Some cities (libraries and tech centers) have ones free for public use already.
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Post by goodguyinar416 on Apr 10, 2014 11:56:32 GMT -5
It will be good for resin casting originals and then casting. Those look like they would be good for your kids and Wal-Mart will be selling them.....If you remember printers were expensive at one time and the ink was cheap and now you can buy a printer for almost nothing and the ink cartridges cost an arm and leg. The beads will set you back a ton and the printer will be only $200.00 or $300.00 Art ABC Specialties Resin Casting public.fotki.com/Goodguyinar416/ |
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Post by rbartrop on Apr 10, 2014 21:47:30 GMT -5
I'm not sure this is a great thing for the hobby. Buy a printer and software programs and feed in the plastic to be melted and shaped. There's not much of your own creating to it. I was afraid as these became more affordable they would take much of the craft, inventiveness and all from the hobby. I guess we'll see. Some cities (libraries and tech centers) have ones free for public use already. Creating is still creating. Let's not forget there was a time that people thought being able to glue pre-formed plastic pieces together would spell the end of 'real' modeling. If you think there's no effort in making the files that tell the printer what to do, I suggest you give it a try, and then get back to us. Far from taking away the inventiveness, this encourages it. This is great news for modelers. You can scratch build parts without a machine shop, and if you've been wanting a model of a particular subject, you don't have to convince anyone that ten thousand others will want it too before it will happen. This is something I'm definitely looking forward to. |
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Post by harron68 on Apr 11, 2014 6:18:03 GMT -5
There's truth that it will help "scratch build" parts. Still, writing code or whatever it takes (I wrote before that buying software, not writing it)isn't the same as hands-on doing it yourself. And yes, I learned the Fortran language in 1970 and wrote programs then. I just can't call model parts created using a computer and a 3-D printer actual scratch building as it's done now.
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Post by rbartrop on Apr 11, 2014 10:41:43 GMT -5
Of course it's easier than pounding things out of brass like Gerald Wingrove, but that's not the same as saying there's no skill involved. Using a ruler is easier than trying to draw a straight line, and using a lathe is easier than trying to file a perfectly round object. Tools make things easier, in that they can turn an almost impossible task into one that is merely difficult. And that is exactly what modeling software is, a tool. It does not give you modeling skill, any more than using Microsoft Word means you don't have to know how to write, or Photoshop means you don't have to know how to draw. There's at least as much skill involved as in gluing a box full of preformed pieces together. But hey, I could be wrong. Tell you what, here's what's currently the most popular free modeling software out there, Blender. www.blender.orgPeople have done some pretty amazing things with it, and you can make 3D printing files. Some people find it a little challenging, but it should be a piece of cake to an old school code master like yourself. Me, I spent the money to get some professional software, but that's probably because I'm a lazy wuss. |
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Post by fordrodnkustom on Apr 13, 2014 16:23:07 GMT -5
It will be interesting to watch as this technology becomes mainstream.
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It's an interweb thing.....