Makerbot's Replicator 2: The Future in Home 3D Printing

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I want one so bad... :-D I wrote some code about a year ago in college to create files for a 3D printer and got them printed out...best class project EVAR. I have a 3D cross-section of a 4D Julia set and two Menger sponges (one whole, one halved down the diagonal) sitting on my desk at home.
 

willard

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[citation][nom]friskiest[/nom]"is available in any color, as long as it is black" what???[/citation]
You've stumbled across something known as a "joke." Try to keep up.
 

aoneone

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So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL
 

freggo

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Would be nice to get an idea how much the 'ink' is.
In other words, how expensive is it to make an item.
Do I want to make custom (personalized) LEGOs for the kids and become the hero dad ? :)
 

thecolorblue

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[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL[/citation]

"the Replicator 2 is ideal for the desktop of a professional engineer, yet easy enough for anybody with an imagination to use"

engineers, artists, creative types... maybe not you though. no big, all things are not for all people
 

darknetdroid

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I think i would make really wicked custom bas-relief cases as a value added item for my smartphone repair business as a start. 50 bux a pop, could go a long way towards paying for the printer in a few months - just doing that. But that's just me...
 

g00fysmiley

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[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL[/citation]

you can probably print out the shoe soals with rubber glue them on and prolong hte life of an existing pair. might actusaally be able to make croc liek shoes .. or make a computer case out of ABS plastic
 
[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]...useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life...[/citation]
Well, that depends on your definitions of "useful" and "waste". If I had one of these I'd have a desk covered in little models. If their only "use" is to look pretty or cool or awesome, I wouldn't consider that a "waste".

Heck, $2200 is less than i spent putting together my desktop computer.
 

vpoko

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[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL[/citation]
It's great for people who do interesting things.
 

vpoko

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[citation][nom]_Cosmin_[/nom]Last time i check the 2200$ was not in sub-2000$ price range and was not more affordable than 2000$![/citation]They didn't say this device was in the sub-$2000 price range; that was the original MakerBot.
 

TeraMedia

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What are the characteristics of that bio-plastic? Anyone know? If it holds up to UV and has decent strength, hardness and elasticity characteristics, you could make some really neat items with this (I'm totally with you on the LEGO hero-dad thing, @freggo). But if material characteristics fall short, then it's really just good for prototyping.

Now if they could print in some kind of high-temp ceramic, that would be REALLY cool. Then you could do an inverse-print to make a form-mold, and fill it with whatever liquid-hot plastic or metal material you wanted to make an object. Talk about hero-dad, you could make plastic or metal replacement parts for, well, just about anything. Imagine downloading component 3D image spec files from the manuf., buying a block of spec-X stainless steel or can of spec-Y plastic resin from the HW store, and voila... there's your replacement part.

This would lead to a subsequent market shift. Manufs that refused to publish part-specs because they want the replacement part (or item) revenue would end up getting out-marketed by manufs that don't. If I were the CEO of HomeDepot or Lowes, I would assign a new Veep in charge of replicator replacment parts. This person would be responsible for creating relationships with manufs, defining the in-store presence and required materials, setting pricing, procedures and policies, and then all-of-a-sudden the concept of what a HW store can market and sell undergoes a quantum change.

But they have to figure out how to do ceramic (or whatever material can hold the intended target material) form-molds first. And they need to improve on the 100 micron resolution for any moving or tight-fitting parts. Something on-par with what a CNC lathe can do in the radial dimension would be outstanding.
 
[citation][nom]freggo[/nom]Would be nice to get an idea how much the 'ink' is.In other words, how expensive is it to make an item.Do I want to make custom (personalized) LEGOs for the kids and become the hero dad ? :)[/citation]
That was exactly my first though when I saw this! How many legos would I need to print to make up $2000?
If a 50 piece set costs ~$13, then that is $0.26 per lego (custom blocks are obviously much more expensive in the $2+ range). But for normal blocks that would be 7,692.3 blocks to pay off this printer... well worth the money if I had a spare $2000 laying around! lol
 

alidan

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ok, question, whats cheaper, buying a 3d printer like this, or building your own?

i know they sell all the parts online, and you really need to know what you are doing, but is it cheaper?
 

_Cosmin_

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[citation][nom]vpoko[/nom]They didn't say this device was in the sub-$2000 price range; that was the original MakerBot.[/citation]

Text was: "Earlier this year, MakerBot released its new and improved Replicator 3D desktop printer just in time for CES 2012. The sub-$2000 price range on the device was a turning point for 3D printing technology. High-quality, affordable and user-friendly 3D printers are finally making their way into homes. Now, the company has announced its Replicator 2, bringing easier faster and even more affordable 3D printing to a desktop near you."

...so yes it refer at original being sub-2000$ but "Replicator 2 is ... even more affordable" that means (for me) way lower than SUB-2000$ !!!

Please read all text not between lines before makeing corrections.
 

zybch

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[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL[/citation]
Maybe YOUR life, yes.
 

hetneo

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[citation][nom]aoneone[/nom]So can I print out new shoes or computer parts? Oh wait.. its not 2060 yet.. Well gee, what exactly do I print out in 3d that is useful and NOT a complete waste of my time, money, and maybe my life? LOL[/citation]
A brain that would work much better than the one you are abusing at the moment.
 

Wolygon

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IMO, a RepRap is a much better home printer. Available for under $600 while having the ability to achieve better print quality than a MB. Definitely the way to go.
 
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