I think the entry point (cost, complexity, availability) is the most critical issue. At the moment it's us nerds willing/able to make one but how many of us are there per square mile of city/suburb? Lower the entry point and ubiquity follows. The first home computers were simple in comparison to the commercial machines of the time. Beyond a certain point it was their accessibility that created aby turingsplastic - Huxley
Some applications that have occurred to me are ... Prototyping emergency parts for disaster relief overseas. Ship 30,000 tent pegs or just airfreight a single fabricator? That fabricator replicates itself, they both replicate themselves and so on until there's enough to start spitting out tent pegs. As needs change on site - medical parts, cooking utensils - models can be downloaded from a satelby turingsplastic - General
(Ps. I am playing devil's advocate to some degree and I have some thoughts of my own but I think it's an important question)by turingsplastic - General
If their predicted ubiquity is to be believed then what is it exactly that everybody is going to do with their very own RepRap? Not that I'm saying they won't have one - I'll avoid the same mistake as Thomas Watson of IBM who famously said, "I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers." But how many leaky plastic beakers, pen holders in the shape of a giraffe and plastic door wedges doeby turingsplastic - General
Well I don't think it would be entirely unfair to categorise the Chinese economy as a whole as a great big lolloping Goliath of capitalism spewing CO2 and devouring the average (indeed honourable) Chinese working man in it's wake ... but as you say UP! do seem warm and fuzzy and welcoming, particularly after reading the rather charming blog "I think I love needle nose pliers and carving knife moby turingsplastic - General
i don't think anyone should buy one because it's freakin ugly! seriously though, it's a commercial product not an open source one hence all the secrecy, capital in the form of intellectual property to protect to maximise profits to keep share holders happy etc same old story, insatiable capitalism licks it's greasy lips and claws away with razor edged fingers at anything vaguely resembling co-oby turingsplastic - General
That's very helpful thank you!by turingsplastic - General
Thanks for the helpful replies everybody. By "kits" I guess I mean kits "of parts" such as the stuff on Mendel-Parts.com rather than all-in-one solutions.by turingsplastic - General
Hello New to RepRap's, have a couple of questions. Could someone explain to me what a "raft" is and how it relates to using a "heated bed" with a RepRap and what the advantages of a heated bed are and when it is and isn't needed etc. Thanks Jimby turingsplastic - General
Hi So I've an unexpected £500 (€603/$795) available, lucky me! Could I do a decent RepRap Mendel build with that budget? I would prefer to take more of an assemble-from-kits approach rather than DIY from the ground up - simply because I want to use what limited time I have doing the projects I'd like to use the RepRap with rather than building the thing itself for months! When I say kits I meaby turingsplastic - General
Yup inevitable indeed. I'm looking for a CNC router for machining acrylic and creating PCBs and it looks like the Chinese machines will be the way to go there. But this is too expensive surely? it's a bit ugly too! After the first 100 it jumps to $3000. Rumour has it this beauty ... ... should be hitting sub $5000 before long. Nearly twice as much but many times better I'd wager. Jimby turingsplastic - General
2robotguy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The simple answer is no. Makerbots and Repraps are > CNC machines but are more tuned for speed then > strength. It would be easier to build a Screw > driven Cnc machine and add an extruder to it than > make a Reprap into a mill/engraver. Some people > have tired to machine stuff on these machines and >by turingsplastic - General
Hello all Can't really remember how I stumbled upon the RepRap but ... wow! Amazing ... I'd love to make one but ... I have another project on the go and that's building a DIY CNC machine mainly for working with acrylic. Would the current frame design of the RepRap support the weight of a Dremel and the forces involved in machining acrylic? Thanks Jimby turingsplastic - General