Desktop factory for your mac

kung fu guy

It's finally here 3d printing for the masses for only $5000! It even fits on your desk. Their goal is the $1000 machine. Being a toy geek, this is right up my alley. Imagine making your own small run toys.



I don't subscirbe to their vision of the future. Where you download 3d parts from manufacturers and print them. Manufacturers won't release 3d parts for sale. If your coffee maker is busted. Buy a new one. Some parts aren't made from plastic. Some appliances can't be dissassembled easily.



Drawbacks are numerous. This being version 1. The prototypes look rough and unfinished. Sanding and painting is required. No colour yet. 5x5 is the largest you can make. It takes hours to finish a part. That's lightspeed by their definition.



I'm not a 3d artist, so this may be beyond most people's abilities. But I remember a freeware program given away from a mac magazine that creates 3d models. You take 2d pictures with your camera and the software stitches them together to make your 3d model. Most people will want to copy something they already have. Not build from scratch.



desktopfactory.com

buddha

Still, that looks really awesome, I've never heard of anything like this for consumer use.

splinemodel

I think this is still primarily for commercial use. Still pretty nice, though. I might be able to convince my company to buy one.

cygnusrk727

My company is looking at the more expensive 3D printers from Zcorp and another company which I cannot remember the name. These offer much more detailed fabs and some basic colors among other enhancements. Hopefully those features in a few years will trickle down to the consumer version.