Now They're Printing Tools on the Space Station: What do you do when you're on the Space Station, and you need a tool that you don't have? No one is going to send a rocket up there...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

What do you do when you're on the Space Station, and you need a tool that you don't have? No one is going to send a rocket up there carrying a single wrench. So what did they do? They printed the wrench using a 3D printer. Amazing! It's like the replicators on Star Trek.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30549341

Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world

jerryc41 wrote:

What do you do when you're on the Space Station, and you need a tool that you don't have? No one is going to send a rocket up there carrying a single wrench. So what did they do? They printed the wrench using a 3D printer. Amazing! It's like the replicators on Star Trek.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30549341

OK, a printer squirts ink onto paper creating letters, pictures and what have you.

What does a 3D printer do?

TrainNut Loc: Ridin' the rails

Jackinthebox wrote:

OK, a printer squirts ink onto paper creating letters, pictures and what have you.

What does a 3D printer do?

About anything you want these days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world

TrainNut wrote:

About anything you want these days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

Ok, print me a ham and cheese sandwich. Make it with mustard and Mayo. Lettuce and tomato of course. You did say anything?

BTW: the wrench on that spaceship, is it made out of plastic or paper or what? Any warranty like Craftsman?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Jackinthebox wrote:

BTW: the wrench on that spaceship, is it made out of plastic or paper or what? Any warranty like Craftsman?

For warranty work, the spaceman has to bring it back to NASA, at his own expense. :D

Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world

jerryc41 wrote:

For warranty work, the spaceman has to bring it back to NASA, at his own expense. :D

So, is this right? 3D printing sounds interesting but it is vague as to real use. It seems to have the ability to create shapes of objects but other than perhaps creating art objects, there is no real use for it. Sure, it is a conversation topic for the media. I am asking, that's all.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Jackinthebox wrote:

So, is this right? 3D printing sounds interesting but it is vague as to real use. It seems to have the ability to create shapes of objects but other than perhaps creating art objects, there is no real use for it. Sure, it is a conversation topic for the media. I am asking, that's all.

Industry is already using these things in large numbers. Basically, you program them, and they make things. I don't know all the details, but it's going to become a huge business. There are several small companies making them for home use. There's a Netflix documentary called "Print the Legend" about these smaller companies.

When the iPad first came out, I remember a late night comedian saying "This was the first time people had lined up around the block and waited all night to spend $500 for something so they could find out what it did."

http://www.explainingthefuture.com/3dprinting.html

Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world

jerryc41 wrote:

Industry is already using these things in large nu... (show quote)

I believe you. I do, I do, I do. And I know, electricity is here to stay.

Now, read my comment again:

ooops, never mind.

I like that Dremel Idea Builder model and will get one from Amazon when the price drops a little.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-3D20-01-Idea-Builder-Printer/dp/B00NA00MWS?ref=spks_0_0_1925189722&ie=UTF8&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-auto-sparkle&pf_rd_r=0EKK6JN1W0NEJMNK957C&pf_rd_p=1925189722&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=3d%20printer&qid=1419191529

Another MUST have
3D for dummies Price: $17.99 http://www.amazon.com/Printing-Dummies-Kalani-Kirk-Hausman/dp/1118660757/ref=pd_sim_indust_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=15NKXAN3YVCJ0Y6S8JXD

3D Printing For Dummies is the must-have guide to make manufacturing your own dynamic designs a dream come true!

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

Neat

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Saw a video of a company made artificial front legs for a dog born without below the knee with a 3D printer. They caught the joy the dog had on being able to run for the first time.

TrainNut Loc: Ridin' the rails

Jackinthebox wrote:

Ok, print me a ham and cheese sandwich. Make it with mustard and Mayo. Lettuce and tomato of course. You did say anything?

BTW: the wrench on that spaceship, is it made out of plastic or paper or what? Any warranty like Craftsman?

Things that are in the works.

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/03/27/food-is-the-next-frontier-of-3d-printing-janne-kytannen/

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/3d-printer-builds-house-in-24-hours-2014-1

Jackinthebox Loc: travel the world

TrainNut wrote:

Things that are in the works.

http://www.dezeen.com/2013/03/27/food-is-the-next-frontier-of-3d-printing-janne-kytannen/

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/3d-printer-builds-house-in-24-hours-2014-1

I think that 2 key words in the second link sum it up "the robot".
It is a machine build for and programmed to do a task.

Like calling an auto assembly plant a 3D printer.

TrainNut Loc: Ridin' the rails

Jackinthebox wrote:

I think that 2 key words in the second link sum it up "the robot".
It is a machine build for and programmed to do a task.

Like calling an auto assembly plant a 3D printer.

They call it a 3d printer because they work on the same principal.
The regular printer squirts ink on a paper and a 3d printer squirts whatever material that they are using to make a object. You are right that it is like a robot and different from a regular printed but the auto assembly robots just put together parts and the 3d printer makes parts.

venturer9 Loc: Newton, Il.

Jackinthebox wrote:

Ok, print me a ham and cheese sandwich. Make it with mustard and Mayo. Lettuce and tomato of course. You did say anything?

BTW: the wrench on that spaceship, is it made out of plastic or paper or what? Any warranty like Craftsman?

Well, not quite, he said "ABOUT" anything you want...

Mike...

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Jackinthebox wrote:

I think that 2 key words in the second link sum it up "the robot".
It is a machine build for and programmed to do a task.

Like calling an auto assembly plant a 3D printer.

It's not the same.

It's revolutionary for the following reason.

When a person designs something that has a function (let's pretend it's a wrench) it takes a LOT of time to go from "paper" to "product." Many iterations, tons of effort go into even making the simplest of products...certainly nothing happens instantly....many times it's YEARS before a real product exists.

With 3D printing you go from that "design" to "product" in a matter of minutes or hours.

Truly amazing.

We use them at work to design aircraft parts. It's amazing to take two parts from inside a computer and send them to a printer and in an hour you have a working model of what you intend to build later on. You can check fit...you can check for hidden issues or things that you didn't forsee previously.

Make sense?