Beam me up Scottie

Those are awesome. Will revolutionize manufacturing and many other industries.
There is a doctor right now using them to print kidneys and is experimenting with other organs. They also have one that goes over the top of an operating table. The patient lies on the table and the "printer" repairs the injured area by "printing" new flesh onto the wound.
Pretty amazing time to be alive.

I must say I think I would have a little trouble "printing" out a new coffee table for someone and calling it custom woodwork :eek:
 
I must say I think I would have a little trouble "printing" out a new coffee table for someone and calling it custom woodwork :eek:

But you only have to build one coffee table. For the rest it's just a matter of entering how many copes you want :thumb::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Without diminishing the importance of that technology, specially as far as my job is concerned rapid prototyping is a key element nowadays in order to check designs and reduce time and costs.

Having said so, I hate the fact that they fool the viewer with the 3D scan in order to get more attention and increase the WOW! effect.

I don't know if you noticed that the printed wrench is different from the original one. A 3D scanner like the one shown there can't scan through solid bodies, so basically what it gets is the outer shape and measures of the piece.

Then, that has to be edited in a 3D software adding all the holes and inner voids that can't be seen by the scanner.

Usually as the pieces only exist within the 3D modelling software, those files are sent to the 3D printer and get a quick prototype. Originally this process was called stereolithography and it has been evolving amazingly throughout the years.

I had the chance of making a stereolithographied model of one of my professional projects about 16 years ago, and believe me that was pretty expensive at that time. I wonder how much they will charge for that wrench.
 
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