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Comment by andr3w321 | Hacker News Reader

What useful things are people actually using 3d printers for? Yes, I've heard all the hype about prototyping and you can print "anything". But honestly whenever I look at things people are printing its just a bunch of cheap looking plastic toys I would never want. Convince me I need one of these!

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Therein lies the tragedy of the end of scarcity. Just because people can finally have anything they want doesn't mean they'll be any better at knowing what it is they want.

Get used to it. It's the quintessential 21st century malady.

With the right 3d printer, you can print out servo-driven anthropomorphic robot hands: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAs2F4sFVdA Whether that's useful or just an interesting-but-expensive model making hobby is a matter of opinion!

I think the designer may have a higher-end 3D printer than we're discussing here - he mentions a 3D touch, and they start at $3500ish.

I've had a few assorted brackets/mountings printed out. Nothing terribly fancy or creative, but useful enough that I'm thinking about getting a low-end rep-rap sometime soon. The next thing on my immediate to-do list is something better than ducktape to mount stuff to my roomba with (and probably a bumper-extension to go with it.)

No one can really convince you. You need bring your imagination along to see beyond what is currently possible to what will be possible.

I have access to a decent-ish 3d printer and after several months I still don't haven't had any practical use for it.

That may be due to a lack of imagination.

I've made $500 contracting a short 18 hour gig designing enclosures. I've made shelving. I've made chess sets. I've made heart gears that delighted others. I've made spool rollers, and desktop ornaments.

Just out of curiosity - enclosures for what? Hard drives or something? Did you also sell the shelving, chess sets, heart gears, spool rollers (for spools of filament?), and desktop ornaments? I've got a Printrbot on the way, and I'm interested how people are using these things to make money.

I guess as an aspiring minimalist I just don't care for chess sets or desk ornaments.

Those were just examples. I'm just pointing out that it's a problem with imagination, not ability.

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