Functional 3D-Printed Tape Measure

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Functional 3D-Printed Tape Measure

Posted by timothy on Saturday March 22, 2014 @08:20PM from the if-you-don't-smile-you're-doing-it-wrong dept.

First time accepted submitter Trep (366) writes "I thought Slashdot readers might be interested in seeing how my friend is slowly building a 3D printed toolbox. He's created a fully functional tape measure which is 3D printed as a single assembly, to follow up on his 3D printed dial calipers. This is a pretty novel design, with a lot of moving parts that come out of the printer completely assembled!"

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Useless by Niterios · 2014-03-22 20:34 · Score: 4, Funny

https://xkcd.com/284/
How long by invictusvoyd · 2014-03-22 20:37 · Score: 1

Before a 3d printer becomes affordable? . I want one within $100 . straight USB to a linux box.
1. Re:How long by serviscope_minor · 2014-03-22 21:19 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Before a 3d printer becomes affordable? $100
  A while yet. The cheapear ones are around $800, some assembly requires. It's the velleman kit one, and while I've never used one, I've seen the results and they are very good.
  If you want cheaper, you can build your own. There are plenty of instructions online. The awkward parts are usually either 3D printed or laser cut out of ply or acrylic.
  I don't own one. I joined a collective where one is available. If you want to print, that's probably the easiest way as it will also come with people who can tell you how to use the printer well.
  straight USB to a linux box.
  they already do that part.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
2. Re:How long by Hentes · 2014-03-22 23:50 · Score: 1
  
  But that won't print you a tape measure. This was likely done with a UV printer, which costs quite a lot more.
3. Re:How long by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 00:44 · Score: 0
  
  Peachy Printer this summer?
4. Re:How long by mspohr · 2014-03-23 04:54 · Score: 2
  
  Peachy Printer is a $100 UV printer.
  https://www.kickstarter.com/pr...
  
  --
  I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
5. Re:How long by Trep · 2014-03-23 05:03 · Score: 1
  
  Yes, this was done on a much pricier Object Connex printer. Some features, for example the pin joints on the tape, require pretty small feature resolution.
6. Re:How long by ClickOnThis · 2014-03-23 05:26 · Score: 2
  
  Before a 3d printer becomes affordable? . I want one within $100 . straight USB to a linux box.
  Be careful what you wish for. Hook one up to Watson ... and we're all doomed.
  
  --
  If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
7. Re:How long by fikx · 2014-03-23 05:58 · Score: 1
  
  Plastic Terminators? cool.
  
  --
  AB HOC POSSUM VIDERE DOMUM TUUM
8. Re:How long by jklovanc · 2014-03-23 06:08 · Score: 1
  
  Take a look at the quality of the objects that can be printed by Peachy. It appears to use a very large beam with very rough placement. Just because it uses UV does not mean it creates the same quality. I doubt very much if you could do the tape or calipers on the Peachy.
9. Re:How long by ClickOnThis · 2014-03-23 06:19 · Score: 1
  
  Whoops, meant to reply to a different post...
  
  --
  If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
10. Re:How long by Jeff+DeMaagd · 2014-03-23 06:22 · Score: 1
  
  The Peachy won't make that, it is too small.
  The consumer accessible UV printers don't do flexible items yet. I don't know what method the Connex uses, I guess it makes sense it's UV. So it may be a matter of waiting for the material technology to go down in price. The current cheapest I've seen is the material costs $50 a liter for a rigid material, and that material isn't very good that I've seen.
11. Re:How long by JesseMcDonald · 2014-03-23 15:10 · Score: 1
  
  That's one of the earliest prints, with pre-alpha hardware and software and practically no calibration. Now that the project is getting close to completion there are more recent videos demonstrating higher print quality.
  
  --
  "The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
12. Re:How long by jklovanc · 2014-03-23 17:39 · Score: 1
  
  Still lots of horizontal lines, they call them z artifacts, and nowhere near smooth. They make references to what they could do but why didn't they just do it and show us the higher quality output.? Also why are all the objects they show less that a couple of inches on any dimension? Their video spends a lot of time blurring in and out of the objects they made and very little time in focus. It looks to me like they don't want people looking too closely at their output. Sorry but it is still a toy and nowhere near what a multi-thousand dollar printer can do. Comparing Peachy to the printer that made the tape measure is like comparing a go-cart to a Corvette. Yes they both have 4 wheels but one has much better performance.
13. Re:How long by JesseMcDonald · 2014-03-23 18:31 · Score: 1
  
  I think you're just being cynical. They're a small group whose specialties clearly do not include marketing, and they're perhaps overly fond of trendy video effects, like the blurring you mentioned. There are some clear close-ups of the objects from the video in the December Kickstarter update, however, and an earlier update from November included photos of some additional prints.
  None of this is to say that the Peachy is intended to compete with multi-thousand-dollar printers, because it isn't. It may or may not have the resolution for the object in the article; either way, you'd run into issues due to the size. The sample prints for the Peachy are tiny. The quality is quite a bit better than one would think from the image you posted, however, which is all I intended to say. It's pretty remarkable, really, for a device they plan to sell for only $100.
  
  --
  "The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
14. Re:How long by jklovanc · 2014-03-24 03:47 · Score: 1
  
  It's pretty remarkable, really, for a device they plan to sell for only $100.
  The kit, that requires extra parts, is $100. The assembles Peachy is $400.
  Another problem with the technology, and a reason for the small parts, is that it uses a steered mirror system. The laser will be coming from one spot and as the piece gets bigger horizontally the laser will hit the resin at more of an angle. The laser spot will be larger, no longer circular and angled near the edge of the tank. Higher priced printers move the mirror much like a plotter so the laser always hits the resin in the exact same manner.
  You may be impressed but I am much more picky.
15. Re:How long by JesseMcDonald · 2014-03-24 04:57 · Score: 1
  
  The kit, that requires extra parts, is $100. The assembles Peachy is $400.
  These "extra parts" consist of some containers and a length of pipe. Not exactly hard to come by. You're mainly paying to avoid doing the assembly yourself (est. one hour, probably more for the inexperienced).
  
  Another problem with the technology, and a reason for the small parts, is that it uses a steered mirror system. The laser will be coming from one spot and as the piece gets bigger horizontally the laser will hit the resin at more of an angle.
  Agreed, though you could mitigate that somewhat, at the expense of resolution, by moving the laser assembly further away from the resin. But to each his own.
  
  --
  "The state is that great fiction by which everyone tries to live at the expense of everyone else." - Bastiat
16. Re:How long by jklovanc · 2014-03-24 06:49 · Score: 1
  
  Agreed, though you could mitigate that somewhat, at the expense of resolution, by moving the laser assembly further away from the resin.
  It is also at the expense of accuracy as any error in mirror movement will be multiplied as the distance between the laser and the media gets larger. In effect you are just trading one error for another.
  I am just really tired of people posting "but you can do it for cheap with this device" when there is no way that the cheap device will be able to produce the object. There is no way that Peachy would ever be able to produce the tape or calipers. The technology is just not accurate enough.
  They have been playing with Peachy for a very long time yet they have shown less than ten different very small, very rough objects. Every object has the same type of horizontal striations as fused deposition printers. Take a look at this picture. Even the vertical column that comes off the cube has very rough sides. That is an indication of very poor accuracy of beam placement. Sorry but I am not confidant that they can get an actual smooth surface on an object of significant size.
Let me know when... by cjellibebi · 2014-03-22 20:50 · Score: 1

...you can use a 3D printer to print a 3D printer.
1. Re:Let me know when... by pspahn · 2014-03-22 20:58 · Score: 1
  
  ...err, wasn't that one of the selling points when they were still relatively underground?
  Seeing this tape measure makes me think of a few other ideas. It would be nice to print myself a new custom fly reel instead of paying for overpriced crap sold at some trendy Orvis store.
  
  --
  Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
2. Re:Let me know when... by Culture20 · 2014-03-22 21:22 · Score: 1
  
  It can't print all the parts. Only some gears and stuff.
3. Re:Let me know when... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-22 22:30 · Score: 0
  
  You do know that RepRap stands for replicating rapid prototyper, right ? Printing other printers (and improved/tweaked parts for your printer) is actually the main point of many DIY printer designs.
4. Re:Let me know when... by _merlin · 2014-03-22 23:38 · Score: 1
  
  Yo, sup dawg...
5. Re:Let me know when... by JockTroll · 2014-03-23 00:54 · Score: 0
  
  Not all at once. It can't form complex machines. Guns and explosives have chemicals in them. Moving parts. It doesn't work that way, but it can form solid metal shapes. Knives and stabbing weapons.
  
  --
  Geeks are so full of shit that "beating the crap out of them" takes a whole new meaning.
6. Re:Let me know when... by rossdee · 2014-03-23 01:25 · Score: 2
  
  "Not all at once. It can't form complex machines. Guns and explosives have chemicals in them. Moving parts. It doesn't work that way, but it can form solid metal shapes. Knives and stabbing weapons.
  So how long to print out a working motorcycle cop?
7. Re:Let me know when... by ninlilizi · 2014-03-23 04:14 · Score: 1
  
  The joke at my local hackspace is that the only thing 3d printers are good for. Is printing other 3d printers.
8. Re:Let me know when... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 04:25 · Score: 0
  
  At my hacker space all I've seen is a giant, leaky Yoda coffee cup. Although this month I finally saw what looked a decent flower vase, which I could have gotten for 15$ at IKEA. For now, I'm still baffled what the hoopla is all about. But then, I don't even use an oscilloscope for most electronics anymore.
9. Re:Let me know when... by Jeff+DeMaagd · 2014-03-23 04:54 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The technology is overhyped, A 3D printer makes you a product designer any more than a laser printer didn't made you a newsletter editor in the 80's.
  One other reason I say that is when I see how fashion designers design their ridiculous stuff and "3D print" it. To suggest that people want to wear a fused plastic dress and call it high fashion is some serious encroachment on the story of the emperor's new clothing. Some of the items are a giant shoulder thing that might as well be an oversize tiara. Some of the works make the British Royal family look sane.
  Outside of some niches, it's still mostly a rapid prototyping technology. That's what I use it for.
10. Re:Let me know when... by ArcadeMan · 2014-03-23 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  That's the nice part. You can print smaller scaled versions of the cop and merge them together when you want a larger one.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
11. Re:Let me know when... by ClickOnThis · 2014-03-23 06:20 · Score: 1
  
  ...you can use a 3D printer to print a 3D printer.
  Be careful what you wish for. Hook one up to Watson ... and we're all doomed.
  
  --
  If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
12. Re:Let me know when... by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 11:09 · Score: 0
  
  Probably some of the most practical things it is best at are kind of boring in the end. I've used them for prototyping custom brackets and random plastic clips that go into larger but space/shape constrained constructions. I probably could have put some effort into making them honeycombed and super light, but that wasn't needed. I could have had them machined on a CNC machine, but the setup and mounting time would have been longer and more labor intensive than the 3d printer. It just becomes another tool in the machine shop, doing some things other machines can't, doing some that others can with more effort, and doing some things that other machines do better assuming you have the other machines.
13. Re:Let me know when... by sd4f · 2014-03-23 16:48 · Score: 1
  
  It is making some large inroads in some industries, CNC technology in general is being heavily thrown into dental, for instance. A lot of the cast parts such as teeth and crowns are being milled, while I've also seen 3D printers being used to make other parts as well, such as dentures.
  However, in general, the 3D printers aren't really brilliant yet. Problem with the original article is that it doesn't describe what machine it was made on. The quality of the print, and the ability to print all assembled indicates that it's a very expensive commercial model, rather than the cheaper consumer ones. Reality behind it is, why bother 3D printing those parts if the machine costs tens of thousands of dollars, and material costs hundreds of dollars per kilo.
How does that work? by michelcolman · 2014-03-22 21:21 · Score: 1

How do you print a fully assembled item like that without the parts sticking together? Does it use some kind of dissolvable substance between the parts that is washed away afterwards?
1. Re:How does that work? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2014-03-22 21:25 · Score: 2
  
  The interface between the parts is made very thin (or left void to reduce clinging together during the actual printing), and you break it by hand after printing.
  
  --
  "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
2. Re:How does that work? by Trep · 2014-03-23 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. What you don't see in that video is the "support material". This is a dry, gel-like, sort of "pasty" material that holds everything in place while it is printing. It is removed afterwards using a water pressure washer. Here's some photos of the process (not from the tape measure, but on the same equipment): http://imgur.com/h8E9Re5
3. Re:How does that work? by Trep · 2014-03-23 05:26 · Score: 1
  
  I think that is true in some varieties of 3D printers. However, it is not the case for this one. No breaking is involved after it prints. However, my friend did say he spent 2 hours cleaning off the support material from inside the tape measure. Note that the support material probably means that all of the holes in the case are not just to show off the internals. If would be very difficult (impossible?) to get the support material out without those holes.
Typical US creation by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · 2014-03-22 21:22 · Score: 3, Insightful

A great creation, made using a great new technology, obviously thought of by a bright mind, and it's graduated in... wait for it... inches.
*Sight*
I guess that's what sets the US and Burma apart: one of the two countries can make antiquated objects with 21st century technology. (No wait! Even Burma is switching to the metric system!)

--
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
1. Re:Typical US creation by Dog-Cow · 2014-03-22 21:31 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  What are you sighting, and why are you trying to emphasize the event?
2. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-22 23:12 · Score: 1
  
  But, if I switch from miles to kilometers, every drive would take over twice as long!
3. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-22 23:13 · Score: 0
  
  Burma, apparently.
4. Re:Typical US creation by someone1234 · 2014-03-23 00:36 · Score: 1
  
  But you will have to pay half the cash for your car fuel :D
  
  --
  Patents Drive Free Software as Hurricanes Drive Construction Industry
5. Re:Typical US creation by RogL · 2014-03-23 00:51 · Score: 1
  
  A great creation, made using a great new technology, obviously thought of by a bright mind, and it's graduated in... wait for it... inches.
  *Sight*
  I guess that's what sets the US and Burma apart: one of the two countries can make antiquated objects with 21st century technology. (No wait! Even Burma is switching to the metric system!)
  Inches / metric is not an issue. Give this a moment's thought.
  Just apply a scaling-factor to the design & print it, you'll have a metric version.
  His dial-caliper design already has comments at thingiverse giving the size to print at to produce a metric version marked in mm.
6. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 01:19 · Score: 0
  
  A great creation, made using a great new technology, obviously thought of by a bright mind, and it's graduated in... wait for it... inches.
  *Sight*
  I guess that's what sets the US and Burma apart: one of the two countries can make antiquated objects with 21st century technology. (No wait! Even Burma is switching to the metric system!)
  You are regurgitating what others have told you and trashing on the USA to try and culturally shame them into using metric 100%. Doesn't seem to be working as fast as you'd like. How about instead you start citing (and feeling) temperature in centigrade, switch all of your navigation software to meters, and discuss things in litres. You'll receive a lot of stares as you wonder why more people aren't on the same path as you.
  Here's just one example to help you think a little outside the box someone has put you in. Ask someone in an "all metric" country like Canada how tall they are and watch what a lot of them reply. Go ahead and go into homes and take a look at thermostats and wonder why a bunch say "F". Stroll by a construction site and note how they measure lumber.
  "keep plucking that chicken"
7. Re:Typical US creation by rossdee · 2014-03-23 01:27 · Score: 1
  
  I thought Burma was called Myanmar nowdays.
8. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 01:52 · Score: 0
  
  Don't forget the US wants to go back to the Moon, that's another antiquated notion they want to do in the 21st century.
9. Re:Typical US creation by graphius · 2014-03-23 02:59 · Score: 1
  
  Canada is a bad example. We are so overwhelmed by US influence we cannot convert fully. Use a less schizophrenic European country, for example, and there is not a whiff of the US imperial system.
10. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 03:41 · Score: 0
  
  A great creation, made using a great new technology, obviously thought of by a bright mind, and it's graduated in... wait for it... inches.
  *Sight*
  I guess that's what sets the US and Burma apart: one of the two countries can make antiquated objects with 21st century technology. (No wait! Even Burma is switching to the metric system!)
  Calm the hell down there, junior. They still drive on the "wrong" side of the road when going to take a trip to see the Crown Jewels before tea time, so we're certainly not the only ones still wrapping ourselves around antiquated concepts or objects.
  What you call antiquated others call standard or tradition.
11. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 05:01 · Score: 0
  
  Canada is a bad example. We are so overwhelmed by US influence we cannot convert fully. Use a less schizophrenic European country, for example, and there is not a whiff of the US imperial system.
  Canada is -one- example the poster above appears to have had experience with. One example is all that you need when someone blindly sites Internet studies that there are -only- two countries on the entire planet -not- using metric (*see OP). So I'd say, Canada is a pretty good example.
12. Re:Typical US creation by ArcadeMan · 2014-03-23 05:27 · Score: 1
  
  Not if you switch to metric time.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
13. Re:Typical US creation by ArcadeMan · 2014-03-23 05:28 · Score: 1
  
  Another example: try to buy metric drill bits at regular hardware stores.
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
14. Re:Typical US creation by graphius · 2014-03-23 06:26 · Score: 1
  
  Drill bits, sockets, and other tools are usually not a problem. Printing paper (A4 vs US Letter) or building material (4' x 8' plywood, or 2x4's) are not metric. Canada is a bit of a hodge-podge...
15. Re:Typical US creation by Jeff+DeMaagd · 2014-03-23 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, metric drill bits are harder to find. I generally use number & letter gauge drills and just use the closest one. For my needs, the tiny difference is negligible. But I don't make aerospace & government parts, if so, then I'd use the specified size. A lot of cities seem to have a nearby machine tool supplier (there's two in my nearby mid-sized city), and they'll sell you just about any variation of metric tooling you want.
16. Re:Typical US creation by ClickOnThis · 2014-03-23 06:45 · Score: 1
  
  But, if I switch from miles to kilometers, every drive would take over twice as long!
  I hear ya bro. When I get a pizza, I have them cut it in six pieces. Eight would fill me up.
  
  --
  If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
17. Re: Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 07:54 · Score: 0
  
  The personal height measurement comment is correct, and weight would be, too.
  But, to be fair, you only see "F" in older people's homes (those that grew up with the old system) or on really old thermostats. Anyone younger than 50 grew up with the Metric system and with Celsius. Our own personal height and weight seem to be the big exceptions.
  One other thing... and I'm trying to troll here... but "centigrade" is a *really* antiquated term. It's Celsius.
18. Re: Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 07:57 · Score: 0
  
  Don't forget Liberia! :-)
19. Re: Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 08:01 · Score: 0
  
  Calling a return to the moon antiquated is like saying the first six trips from Europe to the New World was enough exploration. "We've been there and done that. Why go back?"
20. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 09:34 · Score: 0
  
  The imperial system was foisted on the world by the British empire, not the US. Calling it the "US imperial system" is blatantly inaccurate. The word 'imperial' is right there and you still screwed it up.
21. Re:Typical US creation by profplump · 2014-03-23 10:17 · Score: 1
  
  And pretending the UK doesn't still use it is even more inaccurate.
22. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 10:32 · Score: 0
  
  Use a less schizophrenic European country, for example, and there is not a whiff of the US imperial system.
  I live in France, I just bought some jeans. The size is listed in inches.
23. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 11:14 · Score: 0
  
  Once you get into a decent machine shop, it doesn't matter which units you use for anything that is custom machined to high precision. You can either flip the switch on the machine that controls what units it displays, or just convert the units and go. Otherwise there are enough drill bits to get close enough for most cases, and if you are going to go to the effort of using a reamer, chances are you will use an adjustable one or need a new on frequently depending on the precision needed.
24. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 11:17 · Score: 0
  
  Because there are differences between the US imperial system and the British imperial system it evolved from. People who get upset over it still having the name "imperial" in it can use "customary" instead.
25. Re:Typical US creation by gatkinso · 2014-03-23 12:31 · Score: 1
  
  US instance an cling to the imperial system is indeed maddening.
  
  --
  I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
26. Re:Typical US creation by gatkinso · 2014-03-23 12:38 · Score: 1
  
  China wants to do the same thing. Don't see how this is a bad thing for either nation to do.
  
  --
  I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
27. Re:Typical US creation by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 08:13 · Score: 0
  
  He's actually calling out to his sniper that he has *sighted* the Custodian of the Imperial Measurement System.
  The sniper is of course using a Barrett .50 cal.....aawww fuck!
  click. pffft! pfft!
  "blaargh-dead."
  "filthy imperialist."
  The newly appointed sniper is of course using a Russian 12.7mm Anti-Material Rifle
Your friend is creating a religion by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-22 22:36 · Score: 0

Your friend is slowly creating a religion, not just a toolbox, it first commandment says:
You shall have no other units before inches, feet and yards.
Most people in the world are infidels.
meh by Charliemopps · 2014-03-22 23:56 · Score: 3, Insightful

I like the caliper better. But really... the 3D printer folks need to stop printing things that clearly wont work well once they are 3D printed. For example, he's copied an existing tape measure... a device that has existed and has worked very well for well over a century. It's been perfected to the point that you can now buy one for less than a dollar just about anywhere. I'd think he should design an entirely new tool that does the same job but better... taking into account the limitations and advantages of the medium he's working in.
I'm interested in 3D printing but I'm still unimpressed with the quality of the material it prints. When they get better, higher temperature plastics, or even some sort of metal alloy, I'll be a lot more interested. And yes, I'm aware there are $50k+ machines that can do that, but I mean machines for home use.
1. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 01:09 · Score: 0
  
  ..I'm interested in 3D printing but I'm still unimpressed with the quality of the material it prints. When they get better, higher temperature plastics, or even some sort of metal alloy, I'll be a lot more interested. And yes, I'm aware there are $50k+ machines that can do that, but I mean machines for home use.
  I keep saying this at work, yet they're still going to go and blow several thousands on a 3d printer as one of the PTBs responsible for this waste of funds is a narcissistic prick who also thinks he has his finger on the pulse apropos technology.
  Still, on the bright side, as he and his little cadre are technical incompetents to a man, the toy (for that's all I regard them as unless they're of the ilk made by this lot www.arcam.com) will be coming in my direction..
2. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 01:42 · Score: 1
  
  You want to go from 0-60 while skipping 1-59. This is still the R&D phase of life for additive manufacturing. It's going to remain more expensive and produce less durable goods right now. What you're griping about is the R&D that needs to happen on the people side of things: people need to get used to working up designs for additive processes. So, at the same time we're improving the actual printers, we're also improving the people who will use them. ;) You need to crawl before you can walk or run, but nobody would argue you shouldn't run because you might need to crawl first...
3. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:00 · Score: 0, Interesting
  
  You've had decades to go from 1-59. Now we're at the 60, and you're still convinced that we're weeks away from Star Trek. The required ignorance of how the world works is astounding.
4. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:12 · Score: 1
  
  At best, the very best, there are industrial technologies like laser sintering that get tossed into the "3D printing" grab-bag. Then you have people who look at bits of plastic from a crappy hobby "3D printer" and they think that the metal stuff is weeks away. People vastly underestimate the complexity of even cheap, commonplace items: "oh just download a file and print it!". Wow.
  People also think those industrial machines with their staff of engineers, industrial ventilation and 600V three-phase power are just days away from fitting in a pocket.
  I think we've hit "peak 3D", when years later we're still at the level of imitating cheap items with great effort. Without giving context of how many times the person tried before it worked, how long it took when it finally did work, and how much it cost.
  We've been promised Star Trek many times before, like for example nanotechnology, which was supposed to be so powerful it would turn the entire planet into Gray Goo. Decades later "nano" just means a really fine powder. Wow. We'll, I'm impressed.
  Oh this time it's different, this time we've nailed it, 3D printing is the future.
5. Re:meh by swillden · 2014-03-23 04:38 · Score: 2
  
  I'd think he should design an entirely new tool that does the same job but better... taking into account the limitations and advantages of the medium he's working in.
  That would require understanding the limitations and advantages of the medium he's working in -- and no one yet fully understands them. That is the point of exercises like this. He didn't print a tape measure because he needed a tape measure (duh), he printed one because he's exploring the limitations and advantages of his 3D printer.
  Doing that while simultaneously devising some entirely new sort of object would be a truly impressive feat indeed. I presume it's the sort of thing you do routinely, though. Got links? I'd love to see genius of higher order than represented by this tape measure at work.
  
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6. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 05:09 · Score: 0
  
  There isn't a whole lot of reason to 3D print anything other than prototype items. 150 years of mass production has made mass producing anything very efficient. 3D printers will never be very efficient.
7. Re:meh by Charliemopps · 2014-03-23 05:18 · Score: 1
  
  Doing that while simultaneously devising some entirely new sort of object would be a truly impressive feat indeed. I presume it's the sort of thing you do routinely, though. Got links? I'd love to see genius of higher order than represented by this tape measure at work.
  I do and have. I've had a few of my tools/jigs featured in magazines (like 3) You'll have to take my word for it though. I don't care to link my slashdot account to my real name :-)
  Oh, and if software counts, I've got a bunch of that all over the place.
8. Re:meh by ArcadeMan · 2014-03-23 05:32 · Score: 1
  
  The replicators from Star Trek basically "print" objects using atoms instead of plastic, so we only need to use atoms filaments instead of plastic filaments!
  
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9. Re:meh by Jeff+DeMaagd · 2014-03-23 07:06 · Score: 1
  
  3D printing is a pretty poor name. It's all additive techniques, of which there are at least six major types, I think. And they go from inexpensive hobbyist machines to over a million dollars.
  They're useful technologies, but I think people are getting ahead of themselves. The focus should be on doing things that couldn't be done as well before, not making existing things, but more poorly and more expensively and thinking that's going to change the world. There are some uses though, tor example, I think GE has an turbine engine injector design that's now one piece instead of 23 pieces when done with conventional machining. In the GE case, it's a benefit, less complexity, less weight. Making a plastic tape measure with plastic tape, that looks like a waste of material & time.
10. Re:meh by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 09:13 · Score: 0
  
  Make a Gömböc
  http://plus.maths.org/content/gomboc-object-barely-exists
11. Re:meh by heson · 2014-03-23 09:32 · Score: 1
  
  I like the tape measure choice.
  It shows how advanced constructions you can do, and the limitations of such advanced constructions. As I understand it, it is fully functional right out of the printer. This is a little bit more advanced than "possible" but thats why it is cool.
12. Re:meh by swillden · 2014-03-23 11:02 · Score: 1
  
  Feel free to e-mail the links to me, then.
  
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  Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
13. Re:meh by tlhIngan · 2014-03-24 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  The replicators from Star Trek basically "print" objects using atoms instead of plastic, so we only need to use atoms filaments instead of plastic filaments!
  Actually, they don't use atoms. They use energy (since energy and mass are one and the same).
  It's been used to some effect (Voyager) where unneeded items are recycled back to useful energy.
14. Re:meh by ArcadeMan · 2014-03-24 08:02 · Score: 1
  
  I wanted to make a joke about the ignorance of how the world works and you totally ruined it with facts.
  
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15. Re:meh by jfengel · 2014-03-24 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  I feel at this point that it's not just the creativity, but that the machines themselves just aren't ready to do much novel work. Their shapes are one thing, but more importantly, they are very limited in terms of materials. Most consumer objects rely on other physical properties to do their jobs: hardness, stiffness, toughness, flexibility, heat conductivity... frequently different materials in different parts.
  That's not to say that 3D printing has no uses, just that designers are working with one hand and four fingers tied behind their backs. I was very happy to find some 3D printed dice with various mathematical properties, for example, but try as I might I had a hard time finding anything else I could conceivably want on Shapeways. (There were decorative items, and we should see more brilliant things in that category, but I just don't have much need for items that are explicitly not functional.)
  The technology is far from finished, of course. And guys like this are certainly developing their skills: when the technology matches their ingenuity, they will be experienced and ready. And when it happens, truly novel things will happen, not just new ways of doing the old things. But I'm not surprised that it's not happening all that much yet, and not because of lack of genius on the part of makers. I think the tech just isn't ready, and probably won't be for at least another five to ten years.
Amazing by seven+of+five · 2014-03-23 00:45 · Score: 2

Brilliant stuff. I wonder what kind of printer he used?
1. Re:Amazing by Trep · 2014-03-23 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  It is a pretty high-end Objet Connex printer. He and I used to work together at a company that was very generous in allowing employees to use tools for personal projects. He still works there. One of the things I miss about working there is access to an amazing shop.
2. Re:Amazing by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 15:17 · Score: 0
  
  A 3D one.
Jesus. CHrist. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 01:18 · Score: 1

This is 21st century whittling for OCD autistic nerds.
Not a functional tool. by DerekLyons · 2014-03-23 01:56 · Score: 1

The submitter claims it's fully functional - but he obviously has neither ever used a tape measure nor actually watched the video. With no markings, it's just a cool ribbon and not a tape measure. And the narrator on the video even admits it's not fully functional because wear will cause increasing errors in the length of the ribbon. The non repeatability of the "dial calipers" readings lead to the same conclusion - neat art object, not a functional tool.
1. Re:Not a functional tool. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:25 · Score: 0
  
  Most 3D printing stories are mostly performance art for nerds. But they take themselves so seriously and get so upset when you point out reality to them. It's like telling an asteroid miner/Mars colonist/Species Space Nutter that they're wrong...
2. Re:Not a functional tool. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:31 · Score: 0
  
  too bad we can't print a cure for myopia, yet
3. Re:Not a functional tool. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:40 · Score: 0
  
  That's right, if you could print functional -2.5 glasses (no cylinder), maybe I'd be impressed. Why don't you guys take on the disgusting monopolistic industries like optometry? Come on, show me how incredible 3D printing is. Go on. Do it. Stop talking, stop posting ridiculous little defensive posts. Do it. Show me.
  You can't. Because the emperor has no clothes.
4. Re:Not a functional tool. by iggymanz · 2014-03-23 02:54 · Score: 1
  
  you're very confused
  even your normal machinists cnc milling machine can't grind glass lenses, that's done by different means. to put it simply, putting blank on rotating table, and then making many passes with rotating abrasive head where the amount of time spent in each area of the lens is varied. for a convex lens, more time spent around the edges. at times, the size of grit on the rotating abrasive head is made smaller and smaller
5. Re:Not a functional tool. by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:59 · Score: 0
  
  I know. That's my point. Even commonplace items depend on such specialized materials and technology. So why is 3D printing hailed as this incredible technology? It's obviously not.
6. Re:Not a functional tool. by Trep · 2014-03-23 05:33 · Score: 1
  
  It does have markings, actually. Though the video did not really make that clear. As far as accuracy...yeah, it isn't the most precise. But it is better than 1% accuracy. I guess by functional I mostly meant isn't a block that resembles a tape measure, but actually has a retractable "tape", moving parts, etc. No one is claiming you should replace your tape measure with this. It's clearly just a cool toy. I still kind of want one to keep on my desk though...
About time by damn_registrars · 2014-03-23 02:08 · Score: 1

I was wondering how long it would be until we would start making tape measures in this country again.

--
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too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:18 · Score: 0

I work in construction and I would like to see fast, portable, and durable 3D printing presses that can churn out all the parts you would normally have to order from the wholesale house.
Im guessing we will be 3D printing whole structures like those giant bots on Coruscant before the guys in construction even notice they've lost their jobs permanently.
We are so ass backwards, everything is still done on paper in the field. Contractors won't trust us with the fancy electronics and are too dumb to see how much money they are losing.
Rant End
1. Re:too late for us by Overzeetop · 2014-03-23 03:30 · Score: 2
  
  Time and refinement is needed. The parts don't have the structural capacity (not in any size which is practical), and the finish parts are not up to the level of actual architectural finishes in most cases.
  
  --
  Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
2. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 04:30 · Score: 0
  
  Wow...just wow.
3. Re:too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 05:16 · Score: 0
  
  Has it ever occurred to you that maybe these people know more than you do? And that simple paper is the perfect tool for the job? Do paper plans shatter when they're dropped on a concrete floor? Does a wet plan suddenly stop being a plan? Does a paper plan require an IT staff to upgrade every two hours to the latest and greatest paper? Does the paper plan get attacked by hackers from around the world, all the time? Does a tablet let you quickly show to a bunch of people the plans in the dark, in the sun, in -20 temperatures? Does a paper plan require to be charged?
  This quote has just been forwarded to my boss, many thanks, you've just summed up something rather nicely I've been trying to get into their thick skulls here now for a couple of months..
4. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 05:23 · Score: 0
  
  Can you describe the different materials used in construction today, why they are used, and why you think you'll be able to replace the form fit and function of these thousands of parts and hundreds of materials with a single material from a single machine? Go on. Don't just make coy little remarks that betray your utter and total pig-ignorance of the complexity of modern materials and technologies.
  Go. On. Show me.
  And as for paper plans, your only experience in construction is hanging a picture frame. If that.
5. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 22:22 · Score: 0
  
  Paper blueprints are a liability for the same reasons a tablet would be, the difference is you can put a case on a tablet to protect it. The way I usually see people protect blueprints on the job is with masking tape around the edges. Some foremen like to hoard the prints because they are afraid of either relinquishing control, or they are afraid they will be lost/destroyed. I have been on a lot of jobs with only one set of prints. With a digital file, that is not a problem. Old guys sometimes have to break out the reading glasses or a magnifier, which most of them hate doing because it makes them feel/look old. With a digital file, that is not a problem...just zoom in. With a tablet, I could have an app from my local wholesaler that would allow me to pick quantity and type with many fewer copy errors and time spent looking for product codes, just look at the picture and enter a number. It could even show you what was in stock or out of stock so you wouldn't be surprised the next day when your order came and you have guys waiting on that piece to get the job done. Which wouldn't be a problem if...
  3D additive printing gets mature enough to utilize the wide array of materials seen on the jobsite in an efficient manner. Steel, copper, and plastic make up 99% of what I install...conduit(steel, and a galvanizing agent typically), wire(copper and plastic, typically), fittings(more steel), devices(plastic, copper, and steel), fasteners (steel), fixtures(copper, various metals, plastic), I am an electrician. Instead of ordering a bunch of individual little parts from the wholesale house 3 times a week, you could order just a few shipments of bulk materials saving fuel, labor, the environment, people's backs, etc... Pay a license fee to be able to print things from various designers. Maybe the tech will never mature to the point of usefulness on a construction site, but I find that to be highly unlikely. The only reason these things aren't being adopted in our industry is because you nerds are afraid of us and there are too many old folks making too much money off old inefficient ways of doing things. And most of the people running the show are so old and blind they cant see the future staring them in the face.
6. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 22:26 · Score: 0
  
  Also, go fuck yourself.
7. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 22:50 · Score: 0
  
  Agreed, but that doesn't mean I can't dream.
8. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 23:15 · Score: 0
  
  I don't see why there would be an issue in scaling up 3D printers. I can imagine a day when asteroids will be fed into the end of large orbital factories and ships will pop out the other end, ready to go. Obviously something like that is a ways off, but when did proximity in time become a factor in the available sample space of human imagination? Thinking about how to do seemingly impossible tasks is what drives innovation. We don't think big enough as a society. Most people would predict that an individual with no long term goals isn't going to get very far in life. Well, I predict that a society without long term goals will find itself in much the same position as the individual of similar disposition when all is said and done.
  Mankind has the opportunity to transcend itself with technology and courage. Im just afraid all the courage might have been used up in WWII. Maybe Elon Musk will change my mind about that.
9. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 01:25 · Score: 0
  
  "Paper blueprints are a liability for the same reasons a tablet would be, the difference is you can put a case on a tablet to protect it."
  There are plastic cylinders at the Dollar store for paper plans. Adjustable size too. Are you familiar with how things work on this planet?
  "Some foremen like to hoard the prints because they are afraid of either relinquishing control, or they are afraid they will be lost/destroyed. "
  Yeah, how dare a person responsible for millions of dollars of materials and the safety and livelihood of a crew of people think they have control! You are a child.
  You're delusional. I've never heard of a practical tradesperson smoke the geek ganja, but there's a first time for everything.
  How about we check back with reality in ten years and see where we are? Prediction: Not a fucking thing will be different. Not. A. One.
  " And most of the people running the show are so old and blind they cant see the future staring them in the face."
  You install fuse boxes. Get over yourself. "The future". Geez. I'm amazed you don't think you'll be out of a job because we'll 3D print houses entirely pre-wired.
  That's the future, you idiot!
  PS: No it isn't, but it's amazing that YOU are so short-sighted you think anyone is going to care about your or your back when it comes to cutting costs... Just the fact that you called them a "press" shows how little you understand what is going on...
  Hey why don't you send your resumé to Elon Musk? You can install his 3D printed fusebox in his 3D printed Mars condo!
10. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 02:00 · Score: 0
  
  LOL OH my God I can't tell if you're serious or just making a brilliant pastiche of the ridiculous beliefs people have. Either way, I just laughed for a full five minutes!
11. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 02:14 · Score: 0
  
  I did send my resume to SpaceX, they didn't need anyone with my qualifications at the time. Maybe I'll try again now that you reminded me, thanks!
12. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 02:30 · Score: 0
  
  Also, 'fuseboxes' is a pretty outdated term. I install circuit breaker panels which are a completely different safety mechanism serving the same purpose.
  I am already out of a job in housing because the non-union does it cheaper. I imagine I will be forced to work non-union a lot sooner than 3D printers are capable of printing whole structures.
  I was using the word press intentionally to conjure up the image of mass production.
  Plastic cylinders are great for transportation and storage...you usually have to unroll the print to read it...subjecting it to the environment.
  Some foremen should not be foremen, you obviously don't have to work for a living if you don't understand that concept.
  Nothing will be different in ten years? Keep clinging to that idea buddy. ..you'll be so far behind you won't recognize the world around you when you finally open your eyes.
  What's with the anger bro? Maybe you need to try a little of the ganja yourself.
13. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 03:14 · Score: 0
  
  "I was using the word press intentionally to conjure up the image of mass production."
  Which is the precise opposite of 3D printing. You have so many muddled ideas and are completely unclear about what is going on. Big surprise!
  "Nothing will be different in ten years? Keep clinging to that idea buddy."
  1970s: "Computers and automation will enable the leisure society! 20 hour workweek for the same lifestyle!" 2014: Both heads of the family need to work for less take-home pay than in 1970s.
  1980s: "Nanotechnological assemblers will manipulate matter atom by atom! It'll be so powerful it might turn the whole planet into Gray Goo!" 2014: Fine powders. Some better paints.
  1990s: "Virtual Reality will enable us to live in unfinished apartments and we'll just download new scenery into our neural plugins!" 2014: Some video games. 3D TVs are passé. Too many headaches.
  2000s: "Web 2.0 Push content will change the world! It's the end for brick and mortar stores! We can create wealth indefinitely just from dot coms!" Um, 2008?
  2010s: "3D printing will completely change everything! You won't recognize the world in ten years! That's the same amount of time we'll have fusion reactors, Moon colonies and asteroid mining! And space-based solar power!"
  Well, time will tell! Nothing much will have changed.
  "What's with the anger bro?"
  The fact that someone with the mental capacity of an 8 year old is allowed to drive, vote and post, for one...
14. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 04:09 · Score: 0
  
  Is that all you have to offer? Insults to the intelligence of someone you have never met? Do you think all those lofty goals are fundamentally unobtainable? Or is it simply a lot of people like you holding us back?
  I will admit I did not finish college, for various reasons I will gladly enumerate and expound upon, if you so desire. Lack of intelligence never figured prominently in my retrospective estimation of why I failed. Poor choices on the other hand...
  Is there something objectively wrong about considering the future of our technology and where it will take our society? When has a new technology ever maintained the form of its initial conception throughout its useful lifespan? Is an F/A-18 Super Hornet comparable in any meaningful way to the Wright Brother's Kitty Hawk Flyer? How about a Saturn IV launch vehicle? Yes, but only in the sense that they allow mankind to extend its reach beyond what would normally be considered possible.
  What is your motivation for being such a myopic motherfucker? Did someone hurt you? Let me apologize for them. We are sorry for getting your hopes up, sometimes the initial exuberance surrounding fantastical new ideas overrides people's rationality circuits.
  Again, we are sorry and we hope that you are able to stick around long enough to see the disruption of the old order come to fruition.
  It's all about money and who controls it. The reason nothing changes for us plebes is the people who control the money are all just like you.
15. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 04:17 · Score: 0
  
  Bahahahaaaaa!!!! See in 2024... Installing breakers made in a factory, in a box of pressed steel made in a factory, driving a car made in a factory, stapling paper plans on 2x4s to know what you're doing.
  " Insults to the intelligence of someone you have never met?"
  Yes yes, as opposed to your attacks about the age and physical disabilities of the people you work with, you small-cocked motherfucker.
16. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 05:39 · Score: 0
  
  I imagine I'll find more happiness doing those things than you will ever find doing anything.
  Also, I was insulting the people I work for...not with. There is a major distinction there.
  It's really just a transition period right now, once all the old fogeys give up the ghost and let the members of my generation take the reins, I'll get my tech on the job. And I will be able to do a much more efficient one because of it.
  You must be one of those old fogeys.
17. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 05:45 · Score: 0
  
  Hahahaha!!! Sure, sure. One day you'll be one of those old fogeys. Let me know how it goes!!!
  "Also, I was insulting the people I work for...not with. There is a major distinction there."
  Ah, so the insults are OK when you do it, because of a distinction. You must be a joy to work with and a jewel no one would ever fire...
18. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 06:26 · Score: 0
  
  They already hired a broom up his ass guy this year.
19. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 06:56 · Score: 0
  
  You are right, I've never been fired and I never hear any complaints about people not wanting to work with me. I never smell that bad, I have a great sense of humor, I work consistently, I do the hard things and the shitty things without complaining, I never try to take advantage of my position, and I don't fuck with people that don't deserve it. I am the best employee I know and I don't let any one shop keep me because I have the advantage of a hiring hall and a wide variety of contractors and work to choose from.
  The only things I complain about are hazardous conditions and lack of frequent cleaning of the port-a-johns. And when I make a big stink in front of everyone and call out the general contractor on his bullshit, like I did on this last job, I get thanked by other guys from my company and other trades for saying the things they want to, but for fear of repercussions, cannot.
  This last job was pretty awesome too, Aerojet-Rocketdyne in the San Fernando Valley...highlight of my career so far. Got to dismantle a bunch of equipment at an F1 engine manufactory to relocate it to the new facility we were building for them. Kinda sad because I was basically acting as the reaper for the Space Shuttle program (they built the main engines there), but still cool. And I got to talk to some straight-up rocket scientists, wire up some 7-ton blast doors for their test cells, hook up equipment used to test Apollo components, and just generally be able to take some pride in what I was doing for once instead of more lawyer's offices. It was better than the courthouse we just finished, because that felt like I was just building a prison...which is distasteful to me.
  No hard feelings man, sorry if you are sensitive about being old,...I can only hope I haven't done so much damage to my body already that I will prove you wrong. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, that's my motto.
20. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 07:42 · Score: 0
  
  Shit, I forgot which one of us was doing the trolling.
21. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 08:37 · Score: 0
  
  More of the latter than the former. I am a practical man in real life, but I prefer to not hamper my imagination with such concerns.
22. Re: too late for us by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 11:52 · Score: 0
  
  Dreams are a dime a dozen in ten gross lots. Eventually, you have to wake up.
Imperial unit really? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 02:26 · Score: 0

Impressive achievement! Too bad it is still using archaic units...
calipers, ha! by iggymanz · 2014-03-23 02:45 · Score: 1

the tolerances on cheap 3D printers are abysmal for attempts at precise parts or machinery, 0.1 - 0.4 mm (four to sixteen one-thousandths of inch)
as aside, even in the realm of hobby cnc milling machines, it's always amusing to see the claims made in forums by clueless geeks for their rigs of their tenths of a thousandth of inch repeatable accuracy......no pal, more like 5 thousandths slop or more...
Most Divisors by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 03:48 · Score: 0

The reason for twelve inches per foot, etc., is that there are simple ways to divide things into halves, thirds, quarters, etc. This is really useful for a craftsman.
1. Re: Most Divisors by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 04:44 · Score: 0
  
  What is 1/3 of a mile? 1/4 of a yard?
2. Re: Most Divisors by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 06:24 · Score: 0
  
  5280/3=1760 feet (also the number of yards in a mile) 12x3/4=9 inches
3. Re: Most Divisors by gatkinso · 2014-03-23 12:34 · Score: 1
  
  So much easier than shifting a decimal from place to place. But let me take it a step further smartypants:
  How much liquid is in a container 12 inches x 12 inches x 12 inches?
  How big of a cube do you need to exactly contain a quart?
  
  --
  I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
4. Re: Most Divisors by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 13:37 · Score: 0
  
  Ummm, for both problems, what is the liquid, altitude (or local gravity), air pressure, and temperature?
  The metric system only simplifies a few grade-school problems.
  It encourages people to confuse volume and weight with mass.
  For real work, you still need the same set of equations and conversion factors.
  Today, the metric system provides three benefits: a simple base-10 conversion between units at different scales, a redefined and repeatable set of references, and "harmonization" with the rest of the world.
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre#Timeline_of_definition
5. Re: Most Divisors by sFurbo · 2014-03-23 21:00 · Score: 1
  
  The metric system only simplifies a few grade-school problems.
  The metric system makes calculations where you combine units easier. These tends to occur in science, particularly (in my experience) when calculating energy (because so many different formulas give energy, or because J=N*m=kg*m^2/s^2=Pa*m^3=W*s).
6. Re: Most Divisors by gatkinso · 2014-04-01 11:54 · Score: 1
  
  A few grade school problems? Imagine when they are *not* grade school problems.
  BTW I will be content with using pure water, at whatever accepted definition of SATP you choose...
  
  --
  I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
3D printers are already efficient at some tasks by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 07:54 · Score: 0

As of today, there are several medical implant companies that use additive technologies (Laser sintering and EBM) to mass produce standard titanium implants like knees and hip cups. Using 3D printers is cheaper, faster and can add product value (e.g. generated lattice structures for faster bone in-growth).
Re:Thank god for Africans... by gatkinso · 2014-03-23 12:41 · Score: 1

IIRC Snowden fled to a non white nation, but they wouldn't have him.
Just saying.

--
I am very small, utmostly microscopic.
this is only the dot-matrix era of 3D printing by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-23 13:57 · Score: 0

Someone here is lacking vision. Not that you're at fault for that, a majority of the population tends the same way.
If I may criticize your comparison to laser printers, business professionals can now print multiple copies of a clean, professional report at home - with full-color graphics of not only photo-qualtiy images, but accurate detailed graphs. Yes, it really is a very different world we're living in since the advent of ubiquitous home laser printing.
Other examples: bands can print their own local concert posters, bumper stickers, etc. They couldn't do that 30 years ago. The difference between typing a 20-page term paper on a typewriter or a word-processor is enourmous.
Remember mobile telephones in the 1980s? Yeah, 3D printing will get leaps-and-bounds better in 30 years, too. Count on it. What we're looking at here is the dot-matrix era of 3D printing.
Otherwise, it's perfect by ReadParse · 2014-03-23 16:52 · Score: 1

I'm a big fan of 3D printing, I am. And at the beginning of this video, I just thought this was the coolest thing. Well, except for a couple of things.
Tape measures are widely available and inexpensive.
This one is REALLY short (just over 4 feet), and it was comparable in size to a standard 25-foot tape measure.
Worst of all, it's not accurate. It's off by a 16th of an inch at the maximum length, and it would only get more and more inaccurate, as the length increases.
Other than that, it's perfect :) Oh, it's definitely impressive, and I still find it hard to believe that these sophisticated contraptions are printed already assembled. It's amazing.
Like someone said by Anonymous Coward · 2014-03-24 01:39 · Score: 0

'3D printing will be the end of privacy in public.' -- Electra Leda Koutra, TED 2009