OK, I see that, and it makes sense; time is the key factor, both in opportunity cost for the machine and operators, and in machine component cycles, which roughly equals wear and tear on the machine. That's pretty much completely consonant with my experience and growing grasp of the economics of running a printer.grunt1 wrote:I use a variety of printer types and shops depending on whether the goal is cost, detail or repeatability. Almost all of them use the cubic volume of material as the primary cost measurement. At this time, it's the most fair way to align all of their costs with the value of what is produced. The biggest cost factor for the service is the machine time which includes the machines themselves, operators, maintenance, repairs, and support from the manufacturers. The time it takes to print an items is directly related to the amount of cubic volume of material so that works well for them. -- snip --
Well, there's a few points there. First, in some important ways, the technology isn't really changing. It's basically "there." What's changing is the economics and reliability of it. I've documented the bad somewhat more than the good (more as a matter of mental therapy and a personal record than anything else). I've pumped something like FIFTY POUNDS of ABS through my Makerbot since I got it. Since the last round of upgrades, I've created four full V-2 kits as a test of production processes without a single meaningful glitch in the machine.grunt1 wrote:You really should give Shapeways a try. After your most recent posts I now get that a big part of the project for you is doing it all in yourself in your house and I'm down with that. And it's really cool to watch something you drew take physical form right before your eyes! Anyway, we all have our missions.
At some point though, it ends up more like not publishing a great article you wrote (that we all want to read) because you want to do the layout and run the printing press yourself. I also play with the idea of a printer at home, but at this time the technology is changing too fast for that to make sense. In the near future, you work out your model or get one from someone else, upload it to Kinko's 3D (Shapeways today) and then run down the street if you have one nearby or wait for the UPS guy.
At this point I think you can safely claim, and we are your witnesses
Second, while the idea of running down to the 3D Kinkos after uploading a file to them is a possible way the technology will make it into the wider public, there a BIG issue with that -- the benefit of true rapid prototyping. CADing right next to the printer has the benefit of a smooth, constant feedback loop in the design and fabrication process. Being able to IMMEDIATELY turn a design change into a print, see how it works out, tweak it again and pump that change through the printer is a MAJOR element of how this process has worked out for me. And sometimes seeing how a print fails due to a design flaw AS IT'S BEING PRINTED is important. You won't get that from Shapeways or even the neighborhood 3d Kinkos.
And then there's "my dream:" With the price of these machines where they are now, I really think this is something a LOT more people in the hobby will be able to do before very long. You've seen my rants here on this before, but it's something I think about ALL THE TIME. And here's the really scary part: I'm not just thinking about the model hobby. I'm just crazy enough to think that there's the seed of a real economic and social revolution in the "Maker Movement," one that takes power away from big companies and governments that don't work worth a damn any more, and puts it back into the hands of "citizen craftsmen," who can thereby have much more control over their own lives.
... OK, I'm certifiable ... lock me up ...
