# 3D Printers, could this be the ultimate prepper's dream tool?!...



## Hector827 (Jan 27, 2014)

Today I read about something that totally blew my mind away. It was about 3d printers and how they would change the world in the very near future. If you don't know what a 3d printer is, it's a desktop printer that creates 3d model copies of digital files of things. For example, let's say you need to create a replacement washer for a garden hose or something. You can create the exact piece you need from scratch if you have the file. You can make pretty much anything you can think of. Jay leno uses one in his garage to create hard to find car pieces for the cars in his classic cars collection. Some 3d printers can create things using up to 100 different materials. People can create plastic functioning guns that will with stand up to a few hundred rounds, or even create a real gun made out of metal! This would revolutionize the world once they are in every home just like laser jet printers now a days. When I really thought about it, the possibilities were nuts. NASA has even looked into a prototype that can create a type of food. There is also a prototype for a 3d printer than can create buildings! how crazy would that be. This would be the ultimate preppers tool to have. It's compact and would solve your issues of carrying a lot of things or not being prepared because you don't have a certain item or tool. I can't wait to own one! Lol. Just some info I wanted to share and see what you guys thought and had to share. What items would you create?!


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I attended an educational fundraiser in the fall. There were a number of things going on. One man was into 3-d printing. He was wearing a pair of eye glasses that were made with a 3-d printer. He told me some ridiculous low price as the cost, a few dollars, something like $5.00.

3-D printers are available starting under $500. The plastic material that you feed the printer is what you would need to buy to make your widgets, washers, and whatever broken or missing part you need. 

There are printing places that are purchasing machines in my area. We can go there now and have things printed. I don't believe that I have any idea of the possibilities.

I have thought that a 3-d printer could be basic in every household, much like the computer and printer are now.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

hmmmm, not so sure, great for prototypes maybe. Just how strong is this stuff, can it replace nylon bushes or something like a surge pulsator that must be tough, wear resistant and able to be cleaned?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

mike_dippert said:


> The cheap models are good for nothing more than printing conversation pieces. With a limitless budget, you could make almost anything. The cost of the more durable materials is still cost prohibitive compared to traditional processes (molding and cutting).
> 
> http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing
> 
> I'd love to get my hands on a plastics printer.


This is totally believable. Many thing start out being prohibitively expensive, and as time goes on, become more reasonable while information and abilities become more available.

I am someone who is very hands on. I really like knowing how things work and how to make things work. I took the same computer class that all my colleagues took, yet, so many of them were so deficient in their knowledge of how to do things. I am not trying to brag, just saying, some people understand how things work, some don't. Experiences build on previous experiences, knowledge builds on previous knowledge.

I know women who have never held a drill, let alone use one. So, if you are a woman like me who has worn out a couple drills, it means you have some experience with it, some confidence, some aptitude.

As a woman, I wish I had taken shop classes in h. s. I wish I had taken more classes on working with wood, metal, electricity, electronics, plumbing, all kinds of building, mold making, and fabrication. These are areas where I lack confidence and knowledge.

All of that said, 3-D printing is a new field. Surely, there are classes to be taken and much to be learned. There is also the person who self learns by reading, studying, exploring, experimenting, failing and trying again until they can do it or get the desired product. Having access to the tools is an absolute necessity. It is a new field and the possibility of a business for someone who has certain knowledge, aptitude, experience and abilities.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

Just to put the development of 3D printing in prospective, I first heard of the concept about 10 years ago Not real sure how long it had been in the works then, but it has come a long way since then, the process and input sides are pretty stable, the material side still has a way to go, but when the demand is there people will figure out how to get the 3 d printer to produce steel objects, this process actually exists in stages today, with CNC cutting and machining, robotic welding is really progressing and 3 axis Cnc systems can be developed to place and assemble products.

If you watch the video in this post you can see what has been accomplished in the fabrication field, I am sure that there are much more advanced system than this too the robotic welding is interesting 
http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f81/fabricating-bumper-truck-23607/


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## Geek999 (Jul 9, 2013)

As I understand it the printers are coming down in price. The $500 models basically use plastic. To get something that will print with metal or other durable materials you are talking about a much more expensive device. Nonetheless, they are getting used more often for low volume or custom devices, e.g. medical implants.

I think this technology is going to really change the availability of replacement parts over time. Need a part that isn't made anymore? Just print one.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

when 3d printing can produce good quality parts, it will change things huge, and probably not that far in the future. a 1 terra bite drive will hold a lot of cad files, 

Hopefully we will get to see this innovation instead of eaking a living out of the bones of society. Imagine taking Henry Ford for a ride in a 2014 mustang or an F350 4x4, this process won't take nearly as long to mature either.


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## Toffee (Mar 13, 2012)

I watched an awesome video about a young boy who was born without a hand. His father found that you could create prosthetics with 3d printers, bought a printer and the boy now has several hands that he can use. It really was a great story to see.


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## Daxil (Jan 25, 2014)

The only downfall I see that even less people would care to know how stuff works. "Why fix this tv when I can print a new one!" That is what I mean.


Outcast into the Shadows...


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

I have played with 3D printers, both the material-removal method and the material-building method. The one that I am currently interested in the most is a 3D printer that is being developed in Europe (Sweden) that takes metal-dust and through the use of laser-heat will melt the dust into the final product. It is a bit of a combination of casting-metal and machining at the same time.

http://www.arcam.com/

Just did a quick search and found a news-article about the company I was thinking of: 
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/23/3dprinting-arcam-idUSL5N0KV3YB20140123



> Sweden's Arcam was 2013's best performing 3D printer maker, with investors desperate for exposure to a metal printing technique that is making manufacturing more efficient.
> 
> Shares in the tiny company whose clients include GE Aviation , Boeing, Airbus and GKN Aerospace, surged 530 percent in the past year rocketing ahead of 3D printing giants 3D Systems and Stratasys.
> 
> ...


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

I have one in my office, literally. It's 6 feet away from my desk.

It's the Airwolf 3DXL model. Low $2000s. It prints in a variety of plastic materials. Specifically ABS, PLA and Laywood (wood plastic composite like Trex decking). This model has a 12" x 8" x 7" print volume. The really cheap ones have print volumes more in the 6" x 6" x 6" range and may only do ABS or PLA. 

Print speed is not fast. A modest sized chess piece at the highest quality level is easily 1-2 hours of printing time.

Quality is OK for prototyping and playing around but is NOT production or finish quality. We're using it to design and prototype various items before then getting them to a real manufacture with casting or injection moulding. 

When you step up into the real machines... starting price in the mid to high 5 figures and going to upwards of half a million you can then get into a much wider variety of materials and more printing options. At this point the low end machines can be thought of as basically glorified hot glue guns.

We're still a long way, I believe, from this being a wide spread technology that everyone has and the performance in terms of quality and speed aren't there yet. Not to say we probably won't eventually end up there but it isn't there now. For limited uses for those with the budgets for the high end machines it's a nice tool but for the rest of us, just a novelty right now.

Use is quite simple. Use Google (or whoever owns it now) Sketchup to design something. Export it to a STL file and run it through a couple of free pre-processing apps. The end result is something called G-Code. This is then fed through the printing software to the printer which execute the commands producing your object. Making a die (one half of a pair of dice) about 1" in size took me about 30 minutes from idea to finished product (on the coarsest print setting).


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## Hector827 (Jan 27, 2014)

Great responses guys. According to "Moore's Law" Technology is doubling in power every 18 months! That speed of progress is pretty crazy!. I think that humanity is gonna evolve and change a lot in this century. There are some 3D printers that are capable of printing an exact copy of itself! Then you can double production on things. There is also works of a 3D printer that can create your own medicine at home. The possibilites are endless. Need a new pair of glasses? just print one. There have been prostetics printed for people. There was a case where a piece of someones skull that was used as an implant came from a 3D printer. There have been dentures printed out. 3D printers are even working with biotechnology and a 3D printer was used to create a living liver that stayed alive for 5 days! I know the higher end ones are still a little pricey, but I'm just thinking of over the next decade, the next 30 years. This technology is amazing and its exciting to think of what new technologies could come to be that haven't even been imagined yet!


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## worldengineer (Sep 20, 2010)

Luckily I get to use these everyday!

We have several models and each or effective in their own way.

The $1500 one produces on a small platform roughly 4 by 4 by 6 i believe. It is a very nice unit and use ABS as its extrusion material. The downfall is its small size and that the "support" material it builds on must be peeled/ scraped away. But it makes a very nice finished product. In most cases tolerances plenty good for a prototype its very strong.

The larger machine is around $20,000 if i remember correctly, Ill have to ask. But it produces on a platform 6 by 6 by 12. It uses ABS also but its advantage is size and that the finished product is put in a cleaning solution that removes the support material without a need to scrape it off. This one also has extremely high tolerances and is also very strong.

We have two more machines an ABS/PLA, the smaller is a piece of work and I'll leave it at that.

The larger is off site from where I am most time and is the monster of all monsters. It cost over $500,000 and produces an amazing product. It has a massive build platform and uses a metallic powder that is layered and heated to produce near machined quality products. I haven't had the pleasure of running this one yet but hope to soon.

Honestly I love what I do and its amazing the stuff I/ we can make.


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## Hector827 (Jan 27, 2014)

Crazy that's awesome, sounds like your job is pretty fun. I would love to be around machines like and that and be dealing with them all the time


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