3d Printers - Good Way To Sell Toys To Rich People

[Smile]

As far as I can see 3D printers - good way to sell TOYS to rich peopple, because rich people are usually stupid as far as technology goes.

I love the concept of technology that can be seen in this video right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zknjvQtn6e4

Anything else is just a TOY very very expensive one reaching 2000$ if you would like
to get a replicator 2x (a very flimsy machine), or 3600$ formlabs Form1 that is rather nice with those specifications until you see it can print only 10x10cm XY, and that custom resin is needed.

Inkjet's come to mind, but unlike sell the printer cheap, profit from ink, they profit from both.

Then there are ridiculous Solidoodle 3 3D Printer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6QY5Vq_yVc
looking at the video the build quality speaks for itself, new and rusted frame, scratched bed etc. See video part 2 where the owner speaks that it took hours and hours to make even work. Ironically the author started youtube channels as his "3D printer channel" but I guess with such crappy printer there is nothing to show.

ironically the replicator 2x and the Solidoodle 3 3D Printer are market like USA made, that is just funny to pay that much money for sheet metal frame, and brass fittings.

Since when you saw a mill or lathe made from sheet metal?
Even say good old EPSON, CANON printer frame is steel 1.5mm thick, sometimes even 2mm.

3D printing - total waste for money, unless you sell the products as some toys not end user retail functional items.

Would like to hear your thoughts, perhaps I misses something, but I can buy top of the class EPSON 9000 but these naive 3D printer geeks expect to buy "advanced technology" soon, if it takes as long as normal printers to get where inkjets are today then they will die sooner than then 3D printing will be at affordable price.

 

[Smile]

Well I remember the 640 KB would be “enough“ for everything, now this Guy here from "Type A machines" said similar thing like "Metal printing- You can't do that on a desktop". Time will show, but plastic is pathetic to even consider.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSV1h4Axccs

He also said "we would not like to sell againt these guys - you prototype on your desktop, with proper respect to other printer if you want to do it in metal"

What a snob, metal printing for the rich and stupid I guess. Because if you tried to do something like design a 3D object, or a simple user interface on software you know that designing is the hard part, not making it.

You can manufacture parts in china with CNC machines for 300$ that would cost 3000$ in US, and perhaps same in europe. You can get a freelancer from India that gets that PHP code for your software for 50$ instead of 500$.

The only bad thing is most of the poor countries will do the hard "designing work" with their 1200$-4000$ printers while the rich will print the things from metal at the cost of the metal. No labor needed. Future doesn't sound so good when ground is not even.

 

[Smile]

There is another kickstarter project from europe, that will have
CNC mill/ Laser scanner/ 3D printer all in one.

http://fabtotum.cc/blog/2013/09/03/heavy-metal/img_1012/
The price is right too, just 1000$ compared to above overpriced flimsy printers.
But the idea of milling machine is a bit weak, the machine is made from individual frames held by bolts, so if you are going to do light milling work like fro PCB boards, plastic sheets etc. it might work, else it will not take the load.

There is a way better hybrid by QU-BD
R.P.M. Rapid Prototyping Mill

The pritner is 2000$ jsut 2x more expendive but just look at all that metal contruction http://store.qu-bd.com/product.php?id_product=45

As always without cons, if they used ball screws for XY, then why use ACME screw for Z?

• X-Axis 5/8" dia Precision Ball Screw w/ 1/2" dia Precision Linear Bearings
• Y-Axis 5/8" dia Precision Ball Screw w/ 5/8" dia Precision Linear Bearings
• Z-Axis 5/8" dia Precision Ground ACME Screws (One on Each Corner)

After all Z is also very importan to reach 25microns layers for 3D printing, and you don't want to slip when milling either. THey say Z accuracy is better but the scre will wear faster than ball screw those are rated for miles and miles of travel.

 

[costadinos]

I wonder if a CISS can be used with those printers...

 

[Smile]

I wonder if a CISS can be used with those printers...

The 1kg spool I thing could be changed wit additional unwinding thingy and you could mount like 5kg etc. That would be impossible to finish

Jokes aside even the 1kg spool is quite large if you do not make solid fill objects.

 

[turbguy]

3D printing - total waste for money, unless you sell the products as some toys not end user retail functional items.

These items are printed on 3D printers to order (lenses, if required, are installed later). ZERO inventory costs!

http://www.cyclopital3d.com/

Wayne

 

[Smile]

These items are printed on 3D printers to order (lenses, if required, are installed later). ZERO inventory costs!

This printer costs about 15000$, their price is 12$ for 2.5x2.5x2.5cm, 1KG of plastic for FFF printers is 19$, the quality really getting there.

 

[Smile]

It amazes me how opensource and kickstarter makes things worse, not only we do have endless distributions for linux when every student makes one for his thesis work. But we have same thing with 3D printers and while one is good at something the other is complete garbage at the same thing.

Zeus 3D printer has intuitive interface with nice big LCD, but is crap at everything else.
Robox is good at everything "if you believe the kickstarter" is super stable has no user UI LCD, and needs to be connected to PC to print, how crazy is this? The prints doesn't look good either. Robox claims 20microns, but has no images to show this.
Zim 3D printer is named after a dog, it only looks good.

The embarrassing thing is that while one "company" claims pro printer they not even have enclosure for their machine, while all pro printers are enclosed. If they overlooked what is obvious what about the technical things?

It seems like multiple entrepreneurs who started their projects as early as 2011 decided to hit kickstarter to get their share before 3D printer bubble collapses.

 

[Smile]

By the way: patent war is starting, no more opensource. Every company tries to patent everything from extruder gears, to more complicated things like software.