Read this on the Reg. It’s a 3-D printer made by some clever clogs in Bath. Claimed to be the first machine of its kind because it can print a copy of itself – like how cool is that! Although it would somewhat hamper future sales of the device. Basically the device sprays moulds molten plastic to create 3-D objects that can be whatever you want from phone holders to other bespoke creations. What really intrigues me about this device is that it can seemingly be created for about Eur 380 with parts listed here. Now let’s be honest here, who’s not thinking of ordering those parts right now?
That is very interesting. Obviously the tech has some way to go but I’m looking forward to the day I can go to ikea.com, download a chair and have my RepRap print it for me.
Any idea how it handles circuits, wires, metals etc.?
My guess would be that it only handles plastics in a similar fashion as an automated spray moulding process but with the added cleverness of fancy 3D aspects. I don’t know if wiring would be an option. However, PCB style circuits could definitely be done with the limited knowledge that I have of the subject and that should cover most things that sit in plastic containers.