Reproduce yourself with a 3D printer

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of 3D printing, particularly its potential applications, implications for technology and society, and humorous takes on self-replication. Participants explore various aspects of 3D printing, including its future in homes, the materials used, and the ethical concerns surrounding its capabilities.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Humorous

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express excitement about the potential of 3D printers, likening them to Star Trek replicators and envisioning future applications.
  • There are concerns about the cost and practicality of using 3D printers for everyday items, with some questioning whether it would be more efficient to simply purchase items instead of printing them.
  • Participants discuss the limitations of current 3D printing technology, particularly the ability to print with multiple materials and the implications of self-replicating printers.
  • Humor is present in the discussion, with jokes about the absurdity of printing people and the potential for 3D printers to create weapons.
  • Some participants reflect on the history of 3D printing and its evolution over time, noting earlier technologies that laid the groundwork for current advancements.
  • There are suggestions that future 3D printers could be integrated into retail environments, allowing for on-demand printing of items.
  • Concerns about piracy and copyright issues related to 3D printing are raised, alongside a desire for open-source solutions.
  • Participants speculate about the future of 3D printing technology and its societal implications, including ethical considerations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views, with no consensus on the practicality or implications of 3D printing technology. Participants express both enthusiasm and skepticism, leading to an unresolved debate about its future applications and ethical concerns.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on current technological capabilities, assumptions about future advancements, and unresolved questions regarding the ethical implications of 3D printing.

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Probably very very very expensive...
 
but very very cool.
 
Now I want to live at least another hundred years to see what kind of cool things there will be. I'd like to replicate a new computer chair, this one is broken.

Prices will go down, they will be dummie proofed. You'll select what you want from an online catalogue and send the design to your 3D printer.
 
Evo said:
Now I want to live at least another hundred years to see what kind of cool things there will be. I'd like to replicate a new computer chair, this one is broken.
Hm. Then you'll just have a broken chair and an identical copy of a broken chair.

You're going to wait another hundred years to be able produce one that isn't broken.
 
DaveC426913 said:
You're going to wait another hundred years to be able produce one that isn't broken.
 
Isn't it more expensive and time-consuming to wait for technlogy to repruudce a chair when you can just buy one?
 
flyingpig said:
Isn't it more expensive and time-consuming to wait for technlogy to repruudce a chair when you can just buy one?
...said flyingpig, stating the obvious, and completely missing the humour. :biggrin:
 
  • #10
Evo, pink,hot. o:)
 
  • #11
It will be interesting when/if 3D printers jump from workshops to factories and then to the home. One of the problems is the restrictions placed on what the printer can make (essentially everything out of one material). What would be very interesting is if a 3D printer came along that was composed of multiple 3D printers capable of printing different plastics, metal sintering, silicon chip printing etc etc. It would be cool to have a system where you download the product from the store and have it either printed in your house whole or if it is too big made flatpack. An even better modification would be if the materials could be easily recycled by other types of 3D de-printers (I know I'm getting ahead of myself here).

The biggest obstacle I see to this jumping into the home is piracy. No matter how copy-right protected and DRM companies make things there will always be a pirate bay available to get a free copy of a product. There's also the slightly disturbing possibility of it being used to make simple but effective weapons, it would suck if we saw a spate of murders perpetrated by people wielding printed crossbows.
 
  • #12
DaveC426913 said:
...said flyingpig, stating the obvious, and completely missing the humour. :biggrin:

said Dave, completely not realizing flyingpig was intending humour too! :biggrin:
 
  • #13
I_am_learning said:
said Dave, completely not realizing flyingpig was intending humour too! :biggrin:
Strange attempt to humour then...
 
  • #14
Ha, 2 days ago I was watching an episode of Numb3rs and someone made a 3D object of one of the mathematicians using a 3D printer and gave it to her at the end of the show. I didn't think this was possible till now. Some amazing stuff here.
 
  • #15
ryan_m_b said:
The biggest obstacle I see to this jumping into the home is piracy. No matter how copy-right protected and DRM companies make things there will always be a pirate bay available to get a free copy of a product. There's also the slightly disturbing possibility of it being used to make simple but effective weapons, it would suck if we saw a spate of murders perpetrated by people wielding printed crossbows.

eh, crossbows are freely available here, and no strings of murders are popping up. nor using things easy enough to make at home like blowguns.

instead of all the DRM nonsense, it'd be nice to see a ton of open-source components and assemblies. this is something the linux crowd would jump all over.
 
  • #16
Should we worry when the 3D printer can print more 3D printers? Self replication.
 
  • #17
IMP said:
Should we worry when the 3D printer can print more 3D printers? Self replication.
Von Neumann would have been proud...
 
  • #18
IMP said:
Should we worry when the 3D printer can print more 3D printers? Self replication.

No more than when factories can build more factories. Or better yet, when people can print more people...oh wait...
 
  • #19
ryan_m_b said:
Or better yet, when people can print more people...oh wait...

Well yeah, but it takes 15-25 years per cycle...

Though I'm sure Canon could get that down to 4-6 (b&w) people per minute... :biggrin:
 
  • #20
DaveC426913 said:
Well yeah, but it takes 15-25 years per cycle...

Well yes but a breeding pair masses 150kg, it would only take them 1100 - 1800 years to consume the entire mass of the Earth! We must put a stop to this grey goo!
 
  • #21
That would really, really suck if you ran out of toner, ink, flesh halfway through and had to wait two weeks for the rest of your clone.
 
  • #22
ryan_m_b said:
We must put a stop to this grey goo!
:smile:
 
  • #23
wolram said:
Evo, pink,hot. o:)

46.jpg
 
  • #25
  • #26
I think the first time I saw a 3-D printer in use, in effect, was about fifteen years ago. It built the replication out of paper, one layer at a time, by cutting it with a LASER. For the first time, this allowed mechanical designers to send actual 3-D representation files by modem - quite the big deal at the time!

This was a customer of mine, so the basic idea has been in practical use for quite a long time now.
 
  • #27
I think it would be cool if 3D printers could use multiple materials to print a single object in the same way that a regular printer uses multiple colors. I wonder how much the replacement cartriges would cost...
 
  • #28
Math Jeans said:
I think it would be cool if 3D printers could use multiple materials to print a single object in the same way that a regular printer uses multiple colors. I wonder how much the replacement cartriges would cost...
I'm sure that many features will become available in the future, and prices will go down. It will be interesting to see where the technology leads.

Unless it starts making dinner, I can't see one for the home, but maybe a booth in a Walmart.. Just think, you broke one of your grandmother's irreplaceable porcelain plates, and it sent her to the ER in shock. Just replicate it from another one in the set.
 
  • #29
256bits said:
And to satisfy your urges of gluttony
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14030720
What the heck does this mean:
Besides producing 3D chocolate, Dr Hao's team wants to go a step further - and take their printer into cyberspace.

He said the next step would be creating a chocolate-oriented website.
Isn't cyberspace a step backward? The whole point of 3D printing is to make the leap from the digital world to the atomic world.
 
  • #30
DaveC426913 said:
What the heck does this mean:

Isn't cyberspace a step backward? The whole point of 3D printing is to make the leap from the digital world to the atomic world.

custom dessert sculptures could be the biggest thing since having your face inkjetted onto a birthday cake.
 

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