What the heck is 3d printing?

[Kyriakos]

You can make most 3d printer parts in a 3D printer, but you have to put them together yourself. Also, you can't make the ICs in a 3d printer.

In theory (so in the future) you can 3d print a 3d printer, only you would need either a hugely more advanced 3d printer as the parent- thus the new 3d printer won't also be able to print a printer- or a highly specialised one. The parts of the new 3d printer would be assembled as part of the progression, although any actual electronics would have to be preplaced as materials (much like all other materials are in a 3d printer).

Currently i am sure this wouldn't be cost-effective. But it doesn't require type of tech different than a robotic assembly line we have for cars or similar?

 

[Perfection]

3D printers are awesome because they're the cheapest easiest and fastest way to turn a computer model of something into a real physical object. The alternative (moulding) is a cheap way to make a lot of the same thing but you have to make a mould first which takes several weeks and expensive (10s of thousands of dollars).

Let's say you're designing a new case for some thing Since I'm in deisgn medical a wearable infusion pump is a good example. (It delievers medication to patients intervenously)

You have to design a case to hold all that stuff. Because it's wearable you want the case as small as possible to hold all the components. You need to make sure that the spring in the belt clip provides just the right tension. You need to make sure that when they go to assemble it a technician can access all the screws that the parts can actually be inserted without colliding with other features and that they are solidly mounted. The buttons need to have the right feel, the sound propation of the beeper cannot be impeded. The display must align properly. The internal cabling must route properly. The pump must function properly. And of course, the look and feel of it must make your boss (clients for me - I'm in design services) happy.

I could make that paragraph three times as long. The takeaway is there are an absolutely huge number of ways you can screw up your design. So much of that stuff gets figured out when you actually try to build the thing and use it.

So instead of commiting to moulds and hoping you're right when you finally get your parts. You can use 3D printed models to figure out all those details before you commit to moulds.

In short 3D printing is great for making innovation happen faster and cheaper.

 

[Souron]

In theory (so in the future) you can 3d print a 3d printer, only you would need either a hugely more advanced 3d printer as the parent- thus the new 3d printer won't also be able to print a printer- or a highly specialised one. The parts of the new 3d printer would be assembled as part of the progression, although any actual electronics would have to be preplaced as materials (much like all other materials are in a 3d printer).

Currently i am sure this wouldn't be cost-effective. But it doesn't require type of tech different than a robotic assembly line we have for cars or similar?

You can't 3D print a small 3d printer inside a big 3D printer, because you cannot 3d print Integrated Circuits. For that you need a Semiconductor clean room.

However, you could theoretically have a factory that builds machines, that builds that same factory. You wouldn't need new technology to do this; robots that build buildings are feasible.

 

[Kyriakos]

You can't 3D print a small 3d printer inside a big 3D printer, because you cannot 3d print Integrated Circuits. For that you need a Semiconductor clean room.

However, you could theoretically have a factory that builds machines, that builds that same factory. You wouldn't need new technology to do this; robots that build buildings are feasible.

Iirc 3d printers can use more than one type of material, so in my post i just used the robotic assembly paradigm to allow for some readily made materials (obviously not generic) being those electronic parts. They wouldn't be actually formed on the spot, obviously

Then again one could wait for particle-beam 3d printing