How 3D Printers Went Mainstream After Decades In Obscurity

An anonymous reader writes: By now, everyone knows the likes of MakerBot, Bre Pettis, and the gun-printing cage rattlers at Defense Distributed. But the tale of 3D-printing goes all the way back to the heady pre-Macintosh days of 1983, and a simple plastic cup holds the distinction of being the first-ever 3D-printed object. Garage entrepreneur Chuck Hull managed to print it using cobbled-together hardware that looked like something out of Waterworld, laying the fragile plastic framework for everything to come. From retrofitted hot glue guns, to a machine made specifically to print on-demand shot glasses, the last 30 years in 3D printing have been full of strange twists, odd characters and melted failures. And the possibilities are just beginning to emerge now that anyone can play.

Comments

Making stuff to make stuff

[spiritplumber]

Shameless plug: I make and sell a laser cutter attachment for 3d printers at http://robots-everywhere.com/r...

The solution to "electricity too cheap to meter" was inventing cheaper meters.

The solution to "can't manufacture stuff at home" is inventing cheaper manufacturing tools. I don't think we'll see replicators any time soon, but there's no reason why, for example, plumbers shouldn't be able to print plastic parts for dishwashers on-the-fly or in the shop rather than waiting for it to be delivered.

Of course, if we get to... http://robots-everywhere.com/r...

Re:3d printing is legit

[sconeu]

I think those were injection molded.

You put your money in, it shot plastic into a mold. When it cooled, it popped out of the slot.