Design Brief

Hello RepRap!
I'm a third year student studying industrial design in the UK. As a final major project i am looking at ways to impliment 3D printing in the home. The RepRap project has a strong comunity, so i have used this as a key research tool, and i hope that some users of RepRap could answer a few questions for me?

1. What products are you producing on the machines?
2. What is the quality of the outputs compared to more industrial methods?
3. How much of the machine can be self replicated?
4. What materials are you using?

Any feedback from you guys would be valuable to me as its you on the front line!!
Thanks in advance...

I'm fairly new to this, but most of the answers I can help with.

1. Check out [www.thingiverse.com]
Most RepRapper's like to share there designs and upload them there so it will give you a idea of the range of item being created.

2. Another link [blog.reprap.org]
Comparison posts are added every now and then (this is one of the best comparisons).

3. All the plastics you see on any of the RepRap's.
Not sure on the exact percentage though.

4. The main materials are PLA and ABS. Lots of different materials are being tested and used (everything from chocolate to solder), but for general use is mainly PLA and ABS.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2011 09:07AM by JoeDaStudd.

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My Reprap blog

jds-reprap.blogspot.com

I would say at the moment on standard printers the plastic component is around 30-40% but I have seen a design for a Prusa where it does away with some of the threaded rod and uses more plastic parts so you would be around 60-70% then

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Experimenting in 3D in New Zealand