3D Printers

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Moonliner

Can you imagine what this will be like when we can print objects? Need a copy of your car key? Press Print. Glasses frame broke? Press Print. Need a different sized screwdriver? Press print.

Eh, we'll see. But I'm not really seeing what needs it my life it will fill. I can see it revolutionizing certain things, but not so much the household.

Even once the printers are cheap and easy, you have to have the elemental "ink" necessary to print the thing in the form you want. Unless you want everything to be made out of the same plastic. How much is an ink cartridge of "stainless steel" going to cost or "anodized aluminum" (would printing anodized aluminum be possible?). Or having the half dozen cartridges that would be necessary to print a decent omelet pan.

Again, I definitely see revolutionary impacts, I'm just not so much seeing them in the average house. One article I just read gave the example of the door braking on your 20-year-old dryer for which parts can't be found. Downloading a spec of the internet and the printing it. Apparently this less-than-wealthy health (a 20 year old dryer) has a very wide body printing machine and then, presumably, the ability to paint and finish the part just printed. (Bad examples are generally the fault of a bad salesman, not necessarily evidence of a lack of value; but still the example is really ridiculous.)