Question

Are there any one stop shop links for downloading instructions and kits for self starters like myself? (DLable detailed instructions from beginning to end) I see no such files in the build section at all.

Also, looks like a lot of the CAD software is being bought up by companies to keep people from expanding on these technologies. Its not the printing that is the asset here, its the rendering gui's that are going to drive peoples ingenuity away from this whole concept of open source self reliance and ingenuity. As is the entire project is limited to technical individuals. Has anyone considered making the entire process more intuitive and user friendly? Perhaps using videogame engines as the platform for an all new open source rendering system that could then be used to create peripheral controls for virtual designing in order to create a more fluid and dynamic and FAST form of mind to design without having to learn "functions" and terms or languages... Just thinking outloud here...

But, anyways.. can someone direct me to a more reliable source for downloading a complete component list and instructions etc?

Once I have my printer I will be creating more printers and pulling together a DYI file.. I will then share it on craigslist with pictures =)

I want to stop this ridiculous race to make money, which was not the purpose of the initial ideology - the wealth comes from sharing each others advances! That is the true wealth!

Not really knowledgable about how to start from scratch.(repstrap is a word you can use for searching) Easiest is to buy a kit. Plenty of good ones out there.

Which CAD(well, cad, with how we use stuff now, 3d-modelling can be good enough, though potentially not in the future, when more complete multimaterials is used) companies are being bought to keep out to keep from expanding? The good licenses for software (GPL, BSD) prevent them from stopping others from continuing development. Maybe employee contracts, depends on location how strong those are. I suspect companies make the contracts sound stronger legally than they really are.

I am weary about web-based editors, because the code can update any time you visit the page, I worry they gather data i dont want them to gather, worry it promotes 'cloud computing' in the wrong places and dependence on the existance of an internet connection. Imo think they should consider node-webkit which to be honest i havent really researched well enough yet, but i think the concept is 'web page as application', and it operates as a application otherwise.(Which probably means it doesnt have the problems a web page has)

Also: please give stuff proper titles.

Exactly!! I am glad someone caught on to this.. The cloud enables Google or whomever to run with your concepts, designs and patent them! That is why I am suggesting a whole stand alone design program that is operated OFF LINE.. you could then use PGP to share with people...

Check out Gary Hodgson's Prusa Mendel Visual Instructions and/or Building Your Own 3D Printer by Steven Devijver.

If you google "reprap bom" the first four hits will land you at:

Prusa Mendel Iteration 2
Mendel materials procurement
MendelMax
SAE Prusa Mendel

All with detailed lists of printed and non-printed parts (bom stands for "bill of materials", by the way).

See also The incomplete reprap beginner's guide and this page with info on popular machines.

A lot of designers around here do their work in OpenSCAD or Blender even though they are not really traditional CAD programs. There's also a whole subforum about CAD tools.

Hope that helps!

> The cloud enables Google or whomever to run with your concepts, designs and patent them!

Not patent them persee, but they can get around the GPL if they run it on a server, because then they dont distribute the code/binaries.(AGPL was designed to get around that) But the GPL *does* apply if they use something like emscriptem because then they *are* distributing it every time someone downloads, and they are required by the license to also provide their preferred format for writing the software. Of course they might try picking the program apart and running parts of it on the server.(Not entirely sure what happens then)