Mauro Lacy wrote: > Talking about the power of Open Source, what about the same concept but > applied to material goods? > > The first version of RepRap, an almost completely self replicating 3D > printer, is ready: > http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome > > At least in theory, it can achieve exponential propagation, and fast > development and improvement cycles. Some kind of evolutionary machine. > I wonder how many time I'll have to wait for someone to print me one ;-)
This is a very cool gadget -- thanks for the link. I don't think you'll get a copy made entirely on a Reprap any time soon, though. Rapid prototyping "3-d printers" already exist, of course, and the current version of RepRap uses the same technology, according to the linked page ... which means it makes plastic parts. The 'printing' step, as I understand it, uses either powder which is fused to form solid plastic or liquid plastic which is thermoset, and either way it's pretty much limited to things which can be fabricated out of blocks of plastic. So, this version can't draw the wires, put the insulation on them, make those metal rods which form the framework on which the plastic parts are hung, or make any of the electronics which make it go. Presumably it doesn't actually assemble the new gadget, either; it makes the plastic pieces and then the assembly is done by a human. None the less it is surely a very cool gadget. The web page also links to a .doc file describing work that's been done on more flexible prototyping, which also sounds very nifty. I haven't read the details, but from a quick skim, it appears that they use Wood's metal to keep the temps down to something the gadget can handle, and they can prototype at least some of the electronics that way. Still be a long, long time before they can print computer chips or draw high performance wires on your desktop, of course.
