3-D printers: a factory on your desk | Hacker News Reader

3-D printers: a factory on your desk

economist.com

9 pointsmmettler10 comments

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And now, another thread about 3-d printing that is exactly the same as every other thread about 3-d printing.

Reprap can copy itself only not really.

Gee, imagine what this will mean for copyright.

Has anybody read the Diamond Age or Printcrime?! Wow, we're like, living in a sci-fi novel!

Great, now computers have reproductive organs. We're doomed.

Costs way to much to be useful. Should be so cheap I can leech a used one off someone else and hack it to perform better.

They don't actually print different materials, only plaster. Does nobody read?!

Sintering is soooo much better.

3-d Porn in 3, 2, 1...oh wait, it's already here.

  > Thread complete.
  > Print thread again? (Y/N)

I agree with you. They do tend to be repetitive. However, as someone who has a start-up in this area, it's nice to see it on HN every so often anyway.

Your example posts are all correct... it's just a shame that not a lot of people are aware of how 3D printers have been improving steadily over the last few years. For instance, your 'only plaster' comment... lots of people still don't know that we can print in metal, or multiple materials, or ceramic... or stem cells. Or how medicine is doing all kinds of crazy things with them. Or that costs are (and have been) dropping dramatically.

Or that they exist at all.

I love 3-d printing - it makes me giddily excited in the same way that 256-color graphics did back in the 1980s. I just wish the discussions would catch up with the advances! Please put up some info about your startup when the time is right, or some linkage to where you think the cutting-edge stuff is, either technically or economically.

Anigbrowl, check out http://www.replicatorinc.com Not always cutting edge, but I do try to add analysis about 3D printing/custom manufacturing that you don't see with the typical cut and paste from press release stories.

Well, the startup is called CloudFab. We haven't announced a whole lot, so all I'll give you is the link: http://www.cloudfab.com/ We're currently in super closed alpha, beta coming when it's ready. I'll be sure to post it here when the time is right.

Well, as for some of the really cool cutting edge stuff, just last week 3D Systems bought Desktop Factory, and they said that they're commited to keeping the sub-$5000 3D printer idea alive. We'll see how that goes. There's also that whole 'print in stem cells' thing... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80DhBLEhdzk seems to be good, I'm on a computer without sound right now, but I think this is the one I saw.

In terms of where good stuff is... I read a _lot_ of RSS feeds. Check out my PostRank account: http://www.postrank.com/user/SteveKlabnik There's a lot of good stuff in there, including the one replicatorblog mentioned in a sibling post to yours.

Awesome, both you and replicatorblog. Please post more often, you two!

Hi Steve,

I write a blog about custom manufacturing and 3D printing, If you ever want a write up just let me know.

Your blog is in my feed reader. It's awesome. My business parter has already contacted you, and you've already said yes. So thanks. ;)

Cross-referenced to http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=806893

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