Originally Posted by
trivia42
... some day it would be cool if, instead of ordering parts, we could just print them on demand.
Someday is today. in fact you can choose the material and color prior to it being made, something not available with traditional manufacturing.
HP is now marketing in Europe a 3D printer for home use. If HP is in the market, it is here to stay....
Go up to the Shapeways website and check the HUGE list of parts and things you can order from people who are on the site. You design a part, make it public, decide the "my fee" and turn it loose. anytime someone buys a part you designed, you get your cut.....
The REAL benefit that I see in this is that peoples creativity is no longer limited by what equipment they have access to and creating a prototype is no longer an expensive proposition.
My daughter loves to make "chainmail" jewelry and things but doing the small work with existing pliers is rough. I took the design of a small pair of bolt cutters, scaled it down to one hand sized, and replaced the cutters with narrow jaws. We are on the v2 prototype. the first was too small and had a bind in the movement. it only cost $40 to print and discover that. v2 is going to be printed in a couple weeks. same price.