User:Gaz5013
Contents
Graham Zimmerman - Senior - Mechanical Engineering - Penn State University
Blog 3
It seems that 3D printing isn’t going to disappear, but the exact nature in which it will develop is not well defined. On that note, we currently place restrictions (DRM) onto our media to control distribution, with limited ‘success’. Do you think this might be applied to 3D printing? How or why not?
I'm not sure that it is plausible to control what people print. With the restrictions on media and music, I feel like it is slightly easier to control because everything is shared over the internet and other similar methods. However, with 3D printing, I feel like people could print out replications of many different products. With this being said and technology increasing in 3D printing day by day, I think there will be restrictions put on the distribution of products, especially if someone is completely stealing a companies ideas or replicating their products and selling them. I think there should be a restriction on what people can print, similar to copyright infringement. However, I think it will be hard to enforce because it would be hard to track what people are printing. If they are selling thousands of 3D printed Ipods or similar material, I think they will be caught. But, for the most part, I think the restrictions on 3D printing will be hard to enforce.
According to Bowyer, many people have a great idea (or perhaps a passion) that they
love to tell people about. What is yours? Do you see this as a way to attract future
mates? (or to get money?) Why/why not?
I have a great passion for the design portion of my engineering career that lies
ahead. I am not sure where my life will lead me, or where I will be using my ideas, but I know that with whatever projects or products I'm assigned to design, I will enjoy doing it. Actually, it is funny that you ask if this is a way to "attract" future mates because over this last summer, I was incredibly excited to show all of my friends, and my girlfriend my design, after the company said it was "ok" to show my prototype to people outside the company. I'm not sure if I will be using my designing passion to attract mates in the future, but I know that it attracts people when you are passionate about something, and excited about your passion. That is why I chose engineering. I do, in fact, find this passion to be a way to get money. With my broad passion for design, I think that I will use this to excel with companies throughout my life.
Professor Bowyer seems to think that 3D printing will finally kill intellectual property, and
he sounds pleased about it. Do you think he’s right about ending IP? Is this a good thing,
a bad thing, or somewhere in-between?
I think it would be a bad thing to get end IP. While Professor Bowyer thinks that 3D
printing will end intellectual property, I personally think that IP will never go away. While I think it would be nice to get away from intellectual property in some ways, I think it would destroy the idea of someone having a fantastic idea and not getting anything for it. I think people will always expect to gain something from their amazing idea, or awesome contribution to a better product. I think ending IP would take a lot of the drive away from making products and things better. However, I do not think IP will ever go away.
Blog 2
Do you think his goal of a ‘self-replicating universal constructor’ is feasible? What remains to be done to achieve this, or alternatively what would prevent such a goal?
I do not think that the 'self-replicating universal constructor' is feasible.
I really don't think the electronics like the motor could be reproduced. To achieve this, I think the RepRap needs to start looking into building with different materials like metals, which from my experience in my internship over the summer, is very feasible. However, these machines and materials cost thousands and thousands of dollars. I think RepRap could start looking into other materials though!
The phrase “wealth without money” is both the title of his article and the motto of
the reprap project itself. What does this phrase mean? (To him and to you if they differ).
Discuss implications, problems, and possibilities associated with this idea.
The phrase means that without spending a lot of money, the reprap project can provide
the necessary "wealth" to print out components and parts that break in the projects. The whole idea is that this reprap project can generate lots of products and things that can be used directly for future projects that would originally cost a good amount of money. It is wealth without spending the money!
The Darwin design was released in 2007. It is 2012 now. Imagine future scenarios for
RepRaps and their ‘cousin’ 3D printing designs (Makerbots, Ultimachine, Makergear, etc.)
how do you think the RepRap project (community, designs, website, anything and everything)
might evolve in the future? Describe as many scenarios as you can envision.
I think that the RepRap project will evolve by completely making all the parts for
other 3D printers. Also, I think that 3D printing will be used in many situations in the business world to make real parts that can be shown to customers and tested in production. Lastly, I think the Printiverse will evolve immensely and become a more professional website used by more and more people. Also, I think 3D prints will become so amazing that some of them will be directly used for selling and for use in the world.
Blog 1
1. Useful
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:24606 Although this is pretty funny, this could be very useful in the backyard if you have a dog, instead of buying a poop-scooper!
2. Artistic/Beautiful
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:14840 This is very detailed and artistic. The extrusions make the chair very beautiful.
3. Pointless/Useless
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:22514 These sunglasses are absolutely pointless. They neither shade your eyes, and block your vision. Pointless/Useless Print.
4. Funny
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28270 These Wolverine Claws are funny to play around with. It seems they would improve a Wolverine Halloween costume.
5. Weird
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:18818 This is a pretty weird thing to print for! IClops!
