On Thu, Aug 1, 2013 at 6:54 PM, OrionWorks - Steven Vincent Johnson < orionwo...@charter.net> wrote:
Yo! Vorts, **** > > ** ** > > More 3D printing news. This from CNN. Indications strongly suggest that 3D > printing has the potential of being just as disruptive to modern societies > as what CF/LENR promises to do. > Further to this thread -- see a printer that could potentially build a house: http://www.industrytap.com/the-printer-that-can-print-a-house-in-20-hours/9056 I recently saw a 3D printer for the first time at a "maker fair" that happened to be held across the street from where I live. At the fair I saw not one but four or five 3D printers, each owned by different groups. I learned that the printers use a variety of materials. Most of the ones I saw were using "resin," which hardens into plastic. The resolution on these particular printers was on the order of 0.2 millimeters, and some of the items had a very fine level of detail. Some of the things they had printed up were quite interesting, including a planetary gear system [1]. As planetary gear systems go, it was not that sophisticated looking, but I was told that it worked after printing without further treatment. The assembly felt quite sturdy and did not seem like it would easily fall apart. The printers themselves were a little clunky. They took up the space of a microwave, and beneath a clear plastic case there was a robot arm with a tube attached that zoomed this way and that, depositing a small layer on the thing being printed as it went. They reminded me of a science fair project. Eric [1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZghwSBiM0sU
