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Blog 10-Future

In Progress

Oct 30 Professor Simpson Visits OS3DP / Meet with Dave for Status Check 2 Nov 1 Blog : Now that you know a little more about the different types of 3D printing or other additive manufacturing methods, You should envision scenarios of a future where this technology is more widespread. What sorts of changes can we expect? What sorts of changes might we not expect? I’ve included some links here to give you something to think about, which we’ve generally talked about before. Bonus points when you think of something that I haven’t. http://www.3dprinter.net/10-3d-prints-that-defy-traditional-manufacturing http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-burrus/3d-printing-additive-manu_b_1951777.html?utm_hp_ref=tw Post must be >5 sentences for full credit. Due Nov 10.

Blog 9- Libraries

Initially I was hesitant to picture 3D printers in a public setting due to how intricate they are, but the youtube video drew a great parallel with printers and specialty photo printers. Not long ago, it would have seemed absurd to have a printing press or photography lab open to the general public. Yet today we don't think twice about printing a document or photo, so it is not hard to envision a similar trend occurring with user-friendly 3D printers.

On the university level Virginia Tech's Mechanical Engineers came up with the Dream Vendor, a really neat setup and display station for their printers. It prints from an SD card, protects the machines, and allows them to be observed while printing which can draw attention from passerbys. Given the fact that most of our class is MechEs, I think their department would be a suitable place to pilot a printing station such as this before making it a fully-public offering. Unfortunately I am only familiar with the Paterno/Pattee and Davey libraries, neither of which seem appropriate for this. Davey is too small and doesn't offer much work room, and I can't envision this type of work being done in a larger academic library like Paterno/Pattee.

The station should have a decent computer lab nearby (lacking in Paterno/Pattee), preferably designed with CAD in mind (with several widescreen monitors). There are several of these on 3rd floor Hammond, which conveniently hosts the Engineering Library as well. While I have never explored this library, I believe it would hit the target audience pretty effectively provided enough space is available. This would allow for rapid-prototyping, as there are also workshops in operation on the 3rd floor.

The key to making a public-access machine successful, mentioned in the SmartPlanet link, is education. This technology is intimidating to a newcomer: to even printing anything we have to download an STL, modify it in ReplicatorG, generate code through Skienforge, and operate Pronterface to print. While a seasoned user could do this in their sleep, a novice could quickly become overwhelmed by it.

Blog 8- DRM

I'll preface this by stating that patent trolls are the scum of the earth. Intellectual Ventures is exploiting the patent system for profit, stifling the technological development of the country.That said, let us assume this was thought up with some legitimate reason by a gentleman who shouldn't necessarily rot in the fiery pits of hell for eternity. Still, it directly conflicts my vision of the "spirit" of open 3D printing. In previous posts, I noted that it is logical for companies to wish to protect their products and intellectual property. However, DRM has failed before and dumbing down every 3D printer is certainly not the solution here.

It almost seems too late to slap DRM-esque protection on these machines. While this may work for the closed-off, user-friendly commercial models (Makerbots), anyone who has the software and knowledge of to build these should have no trouble continuing on. There is a well-established hub for sharing designs (Thingiverse) as well as rising ones such as the Pirate Bay, one of the largest names in piracy. In a sense, the infrastructure for the community is already fully in place on an international scale.

This isn't to say the broader concept itself is useless. Perhaps it is best that someone can't buy a printer off the shelf, download a gun, and print it out as an untraceable weapon.

Blog 7- Optics

[I am certain I did this one on time, but apparently it did not save. Believe it has something to do with working on blogs 6 & 7 simultaneously in differnt tabs. Regardless, re-done 10/25.]

1. This would advance the applicability of the 3D printing realm past the current state once described as "drowning a sea of useless plastic things." With modern electronics incorporated, the vision of being able to print "anything" in your garage suddenly becomes much more tangible. An advancement such as this opens a whole new set of legal issues regarding patents, copyrights, and design piracy. Large corporations would likely not be intimidated by our passive plastic cups and shower curtain hooks, but when it becomes feasible to make our own objects as an alternative to making a large purchase, they may get more protective.

2. While perhaps possible, the issues would be a matter of precision. Two different materials would be required, therefore we would need dual extruders (currently not available to us) or the ability to stop the print, lay down the light-piping filament, and continue the print. I have never tried doing this, as I have always restarted a print if something went wrong rather than resolve an issue and continue. Though, if the light-piping filament matches a multiple of the diameter of our PLA (and our extruders cooperate) I believe that light-piping is well within our capabilities.

3. Currently our RepRaps use optical sensors which tend are not always cooperative due to alignment issues. It would be interesting to incorporate physical contact switches (printed by RepRaps) into the standard OHM design. Additionally, if we could mount gyro sensors on the extruder and bed we could potentially have the printer giving live feedback to Pronterface so that the print could me more accurately tracked and stopped in an unforeseen emergency.

Blog 6- Bioprinting

1) Currently enrolled in a molecular cell biology course, I've become aware how intricate the structure of our bodies are at the cell level. To replicate these processes with printing technologies is a bold move and will certainly come with challenges. I expect that if this gets large enough, sort of regulatory body will start to oversee it. Given the sensitivity of DNA and genetic code, one is likely to encounter huge problems somewhere along the process of growing organs. Bodies frequently reject natural foreign organs- growing new ones with identical DNA may make this problems disappear or elevate it to new heights. If the FDA puts such a fuss on simply swallowing certain drug molecules, some agency will certainly have a fit over people growing organs in their garage. The level of precision required present a technical barrier, though it appears technical barriers tend to be less hindering than legal/bureaucratic ones.

2) If the "bio-ink" cells are readily available (likely not in 5lb spools) along with any other required modifications, people will gladly tinker around with them and try to exploit their potential. There may be a limit to how much "bio-research" can be effectively performed though. My exposure to Reprap has solely been "tinker" quality, not "cleanly mutate the human genome" quality. Even if we could print a few nice kidneys, finding human guinea pigs to test their effectiveness would prove difficult. On a smaller scale though, it would be interesting to have the opportunity to print different cells and examine how they react to exposure to bacteria or viruses.

Blog 5-Weapons

1) Given the circumstances I would be searching for a new 3D printer provider, which Wilson appears to be doing. Be careful not to spend too much on lawyers/legal fees if the cash supply is dwindling. Ideally they wouldn't need to pay $1000s/year to become licensed, but it may be necessary for them to progress with the project.

2) I previously vouched that the government should keep their nose out of this sector- allow people to make things without DRM-esque hassles. Given this new information though, it is concerning that if the technology got into the wrong hands someone may be able to mass-produce weapons like this for a low cost, and be completely untraceable. Perhaps the accessibility I was so excited about has its drawbacks...

3) I can see similar action being taken against the replication of keys. Currently, you need to have a physical key to copy it, or at least know the depth of the pin settings. Making a fake key requires vigorous, precise filing and is very difficult. With a 3D printer, a new copy could be constructed layer-by-layer from a computer model, which could perhaps come from a 3D scan of a key, or traces of a detailed photograph. Additionally, it could be easily distributed to others. Thus, giving someone access to a key for a small period of time would greatly increase chances of unauthorized access.

Blog 4-

If the rumors are correct, Makerbot appears to be ditching the community aspect of development in favor of closing their software. In doing so, they are making their printer strictly a commercial product. This is already causing backlash from the community including the "Occupy Thingiverse" movement started by Josef Prusa. Prusa is outraged that an industry founded on open collaboration of a community is being exploited for the gain of a single company. Furthermore, Makerbot recently updated their Terms on Thingiverse, making all uploaded models the property of Makerbot. I don't think it's unreasonable to think that someone will step forward to create a "new" Thingiverse: One company claiming ownership over the collective work of a community directly conflicts the "open-source" ideals, even if it is hosted on their website. Whoever slaved over hours of SolidWorks modeling should carry at least some "ownership" of the model, and we should be grateful to those who decide to share it without expectations of profit.

Blog 3-

Q1: I don't believe it's unreasonable to think that, if the technology becomes mainstream enough, some more complex models will be sold for profit and protected under some usage restrictions. This is common with software trials: the program can track how many computers its been installed upon, and how many hours its been running. Once certain conditons have been meet (such as 10 hours of use, or by a certain date), the software will refuse to run. Similarly, a model could "track" how many times its been printed and do some sort of self-destruction that prevents a person from redistributing the file or creating multiple prints. Naturally, people would dedicate themselves to cracking these restrictions and sharing them with the world in a torrent-eque style. I imagine this will not occur for quite some time- I haven't seen a 3D model of tweezers worth patenting.


Q2: I've been collecting vinyl records for the past three years. It started as a little thing I did on the side, but has since become a highly-visible part of who I am. It is the highlight/focus of wherever I live, and makes a great conversation piece. I get a sense of satisfaction from sharing my collection with people and explaining the analog technology to someone who has never had experience with a turntable. I've formed a variety of relationships through my setup, and wouldn't be all that surprised if the trend continues.


Q3: An end to intellectual property is long overdue. It serves little purpose in a growing & evolving world beyond turning a profit for large corporations. Think of all the time and money being wasted in the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit, all of which (in an ideal world) could instead be put into purposeful collaboration to make revolutionary products. Unfortunately, I think Bowyer is a little optimistic about an end to IP. As long as large sums of money are involved, parties will attempt to protect their IP from being used for profit by others. Not to say this won't be thwarted by a dedicated community (music DRM, software, etc), but we have a long way to go before our plastic trinket printers revolutionize the manufacturing industry.

Blog 2-

Q1: I would usually be hesitant to say that a a project like a self-replicating universal constructor is possible, but it's getting difficult to call anything "impossible." Currently our printers can replicate all of their own joints and gears, but not the sturdier supports or more intricate electronics. Assembly is done by humans, but this could be done by robot rather simply. Unfortunately, I do believe we will reach limitations in what can be printed. Digital Cameras, for instance, would require such an intricate process with so many materials that it may not be feasible (unless perhaps a machine was dedicated to producing electronics).

Q2: Bowyer presents a scenario in which a person could own a machine capable of producing anything, making money obsolete. Given access to a machine, feed materials, and necessary models one has no need for any sort of money. While a positive for the consumer, it has the potential to eliminate the demand for production jobs or discourage people from working altogether. These may be instead replaced with people who create 3D models (to sell), or maintain the replicating machines. The economy as we know it would have to undergo a massive revamp to accommodate this technology.

Q3: I currently feel the learning curve is the biggest obstacle to becoming "mainstream." To my knowledge the technology is not yet at the point where a fully-assembled, functional machine can be delivered. Even so, the computer interface required to operate the printer is far from layman-friendly. In the future, I picture a large console with a colorful touchscreen where the user can search databases for a model and have it printed before them. Unfortunately I believe this will hurt the RepRap community- currently all RepRap users are working together to develop the technology. When they day comes that a layman can fully operate this machine on his or her own, the community will cease to grow. The 3D printing industry will ultimately become more commercialized and the hobbyists will either disappear or become hired as specialists to develop the technology.

Blog 1-

Useful: Cross Tweezers: [[1]] It looks like we use these quite a bit in printing. Handy that we can print out another set at will.

Artistic: Bioshock Belt Buckle: [[2]] They put loads of detail into this this, fully converting the official logo into a 3D model. While I doubt a plastic version would make a sturdy buckle, it would be a cool decoration.

Useless: USSR Rocket Key: [[3]] A model of the key which could theoretically activate missiles in the USSR. Would make a neat conversation starter, but has little application otherwise.

Funny: Portal Cake [[4]] I thought it was a lie, but someone took the initiate to make this fabled reward a reality.

Weird: Everything on [[5]]. The fact that a website exists solely for this restores my faith in the world's sense of humor.



Look at me still talking while there's Science to do.