There's a post on Wohlers talk about open source 3D printers, such as RepRap, Fab@Home, Makerbot and CandyFab. Terry Wohlers is the additive manufacturing industry expert. His company is specialized in analyzing trends and keeping track of developments and disseminating this information again to its customers.
Have a look here:
[
wohlersassociates.com]
"RepRap and CandyFab are two other open-source developments, with RepRap gaining the most traction to date. The RepRap project originated at Bath University in the UK, with an initial emphasis on self-replication. The goal is to produce a machine that can make copies of itself. The system uses ABS and polyethylene in filament form, similar to FDM from Stratasys. The parts I’ve seen remind me of the very early parts from FDM (circa 1990), including a seam where the deposition starts and stops.
RepRap kits are available commercially from A1 Technologies of the UK for £750 (~$1,250) and Makerbot Industries for $750 ($2,500 fully assembled). It is believed that 500–1,000 systems have been sold, although someone closer to the development puts it at 1,500+ machines.
What will be the future impact of these open-source systems? It’s too early to know for sure, but from what I can tell, they could succeed—and to some extent, already have—as a research and development platform. A lot has been published about the makeup the systems, so researchers and others can easily try new materials and apply the machines to a wide range of new and interesting applications. The Fab@Home system is the most versatile for experimentation, but the lower cost of the RepRap development makes it attractive for even the smallest organization or individual."
Regards,
Erik de Bruijn
[
Ultimaker.com] - [
blog.erikdebruijn.nl]
