Real Life "Star Trek "Replicators

[Maximus Groff]

:D

wow! thats intense...
but u still have to buy some batteries! :scream:

[eliseu gouveia]

Wow, I wonder what the price of the ink cartridges would mount up to.:cool:

[slaughters]

Originally posted by eliseu gouveia
Wow, I wonder what the price of the ink cartridges would mount up to.:cool: The way things work out, most likely 100's of times more than it would cost actually purchase the real item that you are replicating.

[20megmachine]

The way things work out, most likely 100's of times more than it would cost actually purchase the real item that you are replicating.

Yeah, but you'd only have to buy one of 'em...

[Array]

hmmm, sounds like a nice toy for electrical engineers (proffessional and hobbyist alike).

[kwshipman]

so if I model a woman, and hit print then :eek:

now I just need one big enough to print me a car.

[mikewebb]

First this is great for places like the space station where the raw materials (the "inks") can be stored on board and when needed can print out any part from their catalog needed at the moment. No need to anticipate what could go wrong and double up on supplies.

Second, I think I just saw this in Popular Science, or something like it, scientist are experimenting on this same technology to manufacture organic parts like veins. You use cells and a degradable filler. Spray the pattern needed and wait a few days while the cells start growing. Once they grow together take the filler material away and you have a vein or heart if heart cells were used. I think they used heart cells and made a crude heart that they could start beating when it was done.

Remember the noisy dot matrices printers? God I am glad those days are gone! I had to place a pillow over the printer in the dorm room if I was working on a paper at night. Grind! Grind! Grind! Grind!

Mike

[Speaky]

I like the way this technology is heading.... one day you'll be able to find a product you want online and just download a file and press print. No more postal delays! But I bet there would be trouble with pirated products and mods....

Re: noisy dot matrix printers. I remember when dot matrix was heralded as the quiet option because they were replacing those daisywheel printers which basically used a manual typewriter printhead with an electronic prodder which hammered away at ridiculous speeds. They had to be placed in soundproof boxes to protect the ears of the people around them, and even then you'd have to pile pillows all over the box and stuff them in your ears.

[Per-Anders]

sounds great for prototyping stuff... but i heard that these polymer things were a bit delicate for actual every day usage (not the electro, but the standard ones).

now who's betting on how long before one of these baby's appears in some hollywood spy flick?

[Goodie2Shoes]

Originally posted by RobertoOrtiz
The article is based on the idea to use Injet technology to produce electronic gadgets at home. It takes the 3d printing process to the logical next step.



http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/tech/article.jsp?id=99993238&sub=Gadgets%20and%20Inventions


-Roberto


Roberto - a truly king of the posts! bring 'em on :thumbsup:

[asparapani]

Ahh yes....The future is here....well almost.

I'd pay anything to visit space. And no i'm not a trekky!:annoyed:

[CG.p]

It "just" seems like the rapid prototyping stuff that has been around for years. I wonder what the trick was that they just now thought this up....

I bet it is a lot cooler to watch than the RP machines. Not that they aren't cool themselves.

[mikewebb]

I also seem to also remember an article in Wired that predicted a printing process that would use flat prints. You could even print a watch or computer with this process. The circuits and wires and such would be printed, even keyboards would be printed with pressure sensitive material. The screen would be printed with electronic ink. (Well you get the idea.) You would then cut it out and fold it together (to make it 3D) and add a battery.

I guess we should invest in the "ink" companies.

Mike

[GrafOrlok]

I think Janeways coffee will be pretty cold before it is finished using this method...
:rolleyes:

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