3D Self-Replicating Printer to be Released Under GNU License

Rob O'Neill writes "A Kiwi open source developer is working on a self-replicating 3D printer, RepRap, to be made available under the GNU license. 'The 3D printer works by building components up in layers of plastic, mainly polylactic acid (PLA), which is a bio-degradable polymer made from lactic acid. The technology already exists, but commercial machines are very expensive. They also can't copy themselves, and they can't be manipulated by users, says Vik Olliver. RepRap has a different idea. The team, which is spread over New Zealand, the UK and the US, develops and gives away the designs for its much cheaper machine, which also has self-copying capabilities. It wants to make the machine available to anybody — including small communities in the developing world, as well as people in the developed world, says Olliver. Accordingly, the RepRap machine is distributed, at no cost, under the GNU (General Public License).'"

Comments

Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

How does it copy its circuit boards and metallic components? Does it have a little semi-conductor factory?

Re:Really?

[fireboy1919]

Rapid prototyping and even direct-to-manufacture with the selective sintering machines is becoming much more accessible and widespread.

Think of it as mimeograph and dot matrix from 20 years ago vs the mundane throwaway photo-quality walmart variety printers now.


While I agree, I don't think that this particular technology is where it's at.

You should keep in mind that this is essentially a computer controlled glue gun. It requires the use of low-temperature, air pressure thermoplastic, or similar materials.

Those kinds of materials just don't stand up to abuse. You need to be doing this kind of thing at high temperatures and pressures to make it practical, and then it starts to get dangerous. Further, building layer upon layer in this printing fashion does not lend itself to strong bonds within the material.

What can we do at low temperatures that can do this kind of thing? Rather than adding material to objects, the trick is to remove it.

We have computer controlled routers, lathes, and milling machines that can cut through pretty much any kind of metal or wood with accuracy that far surpasses that of the RepRap, and the end result is sturdier.

Its not like the "waste" is even that, either - metal scraps can be melted down and reused, and wood scraps can be made into compost, kindling, paper, or particle board.

A machine that does this is called a CNC machine, and they already exist. You can buy one ready made, or find tons of articles on the internet discussing how to make one - mostly out of parts available at hardware stores, so they end up being between easily available in the $400-$1500 range.

Re:Really?

[The Bender]

It efficiently copies itself by infecting the brains of geeks and subtly altering their behavioral patterns. This causes the geek hosts to construct additional RepRaps from publically available plans and then post the details to the internet in order to spread the seed further.

Re:Really?

[eldepeche]

Maybe people don't really think it's funny anymore.

Re:Really?

[flappinbooger]

I've heard about CNC milling machines. I've had many of the parts I've designed made on them.

For building a piece of capital equipment, the parts must be designed in CAD and the DXF files and part prints must be created. Then all of the sheet metal parts, steel plate parts, machined parts, purchased parts, and hardware have to all be ordered, made, purchased, borrowed, etc.

What if, some day, a company that wanted to design and build a piece of capital equipment could do so - all internally? Without the overhead of an extensive tool room? Parts could be designed for a function, not designed around ease of manufacture?

I'm envisioning a large 120 inch x 60 inch table, much like a laser or waterjet or plasma table, but instead you send it a 3D model and some parameters and it "prints out" the parts for a machine, large, small, flat, simple, complicated, etc. It would pull from a few drums of special slurry material that has all the best properties of aluminum and steel, and is real cheap. Soylent Gray! (made from garbage, good for the environment, ok for you)

I know CNC milling, CNC laser, CNC waterjet, plasma, etc, are all great and we use them daily around here, I'm thinking of something faster, cheaper, less wasteful, quicker turnaround, no limitations, no compromises. Again, if we are at the 1971 era dot matrix stage today, my idea is at the $35 photo quality Walmart printer-in-a-blister-pack disposable printer stage.

Again, the selective sintering machines are a foreshadowing. They are heading in the right direction. I recall back in 1997 1998 timeframe SLA rapid prototyping was "cutting edge" and I had some plastic parts I was designing made in it, before we cut a mold. That tech is "old school" now, you can get durable parts made up today, rapid prototype or direct to manufacture, you can use IN PRODUCTION.

Re:Skynet Tag

[Snowmit]

I was thinking a youngladysillustratedprimer tag

It doesn't really self-replicate

[Animats]

Here's the real site. Look at the picture. The machine can make the white plastic parts. Not the motors, not the leadscrews, not the frame rods, not the belts, not the wiring, and not the control electronics. The parts it is making look like about $10 worth of injection molded plastic - the cheap parts.

Re:It doesn't really self-replicate

[Grishnakh]

Here's the real site. Look at the picture. The machine can make the white plastic parts. Not the motors, not the leadscrews, not the frame rods, not the belts, not the wiring, and not the control electronics. The parts it is making look like about $10 worth of injection molded plastic - the cheap parts.

Wrong; that's not $10 worth of injected-molded plastic, that's thousands of dollars worth at least.

Injection-molded plastic, as the name implies, requires a mold, and a machine to inject plastic with. Molds are expensive, as are these machines. Do you have the facilities at home to make injection-molded plastic parts? No? Then it's going to cost you a fair bit of money to send your CAD drawings to a place for them to make a mold and produce parts for you in large quantities. You say you only need one? Too bad. The cost isn't much different whether you want one or 1000.

That "$10 worth" of parts is only $10 when someone has gone to the trouble of making molds and doing a production run in the thousands or more.

With a machine like this, those parts can be made for next to nothing. You'll still have to add motors, leadscrews, belts, wiring, etc., but all that stuff is easily bought off-the-shelf, since it's all standardized. Special plastic parts for your particular application aren't available off-the-shelf, and that's the problem solved here.

Re:weapons [and?] sex toys

[Anonymous Coward]

Weapons and illegal drug paraphernalia I can understand, but what do they have against sex toys?

Re:The singularity

[PinkFuzzyBunny]

Actually several of the plastics in use are produced from plant materials, others are silicone based. Even if the plastics used are petroleum based the thermoplastic nature of the device makes recycling both obvious and decentralized. So yes, maybe a world changer.

Re:The singularity

[Grishnakh]

Unless I'm missing something, TFA said the typically-used plastic on these printers is PLA, polylactose acid, which is made from lactose, an ingredient in milk, human muscles, and various other biological sources, not petroleum.

Re:wrong sci-fi show

[sconeu]

And, if you look at the white board in the episode "Avenger 2.0", you'll see that the Stargates themselves run on Java.

Missing the point

[vik]

The design is meant to evolve. It won't do that until it replicates. Therefore, the most critical thing to do is make it replicate. If we spent our time making cool gadgets with it, this would delay the onset of replication and keep the thing out of your hands. It is only when large numbers of people can get hold of the thing that the design will evolve.

Besides, making it capable of producing its own parts automatically makes it capable of creating a whole heap of other stuff. People are subverting bits of the design already.

Vik :v)

Subtractive production is doomed. (Long term)

[neBelcnU]

You're right, at this time our skills in subtractive production far, far exceed our abilities in additive.

However, in the long run--say another few decades--CNC (subtractive) tools will be dinosaurs. They are, ultimatly, just an interim technology. When you can't put the atoms you want where you want them, then you start with a block and carve away the excess. The result of years of sophistication is the ability to carve with such precision, speed, and complexity that it's pretty impressive.

But when you can put whatever atom in whatever orientation/relationship to others, then throw the vertical mill and lathe out. Want that one-piece turbine-rotor coated in diamond?

As impressive as they are, the major vendors must all be spending a decent amount of man-hours watching every single developement in this area. All real long lead-time effort, but the only "buggy whip" insurance they have right now.