palindrome emordnilap's Library tagged rapid_prototyping →  View Popular

On the near horizon, however, are systems that would allow for multiple material inputs, and those that allow the use of electroactive and electronic polymers. Although plastic electronics fall way behind traditional silicon processors when it comes to speed, they're moving into the "just good enough" category, raising the tantalizing possibility of being able to print out basic electronic products--sensors, RFID-type tags, even simple communication devices--by the middle of the next decade. And as the 3D printing systems become more sophisticated, moving closer to the realm of molecular-scale manufacturing, the potential for even more complex and powerful products available at the touch of the "print" button becomes ever greater.

RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper. It is the practical self-copying 3D printer shown on the right - a self-replicating machine.
This 3D printer builds the component up in layers of plastic. This technology
already exists, but the cheapest commercial machine would cost you about €30,000. And it isn't even designed so that it can make itself. So what
the RepRap team are doing is to develop and to give away the designs
for a much cheaper machine with the novel capability of being able to
self-copy (material costs are about €400). That way it's
accessible to small communities in the developing world as well as
individuals in the developed world. Following the principles of the Free Software Movement we are distributing the RepRap
machine at no cost to everyone under the GNU General Public Licence. So, if you have
a RepRap machine, you can make another and give it to a friend...

Adrian (left) and Vik (right) with a parent RepRap machine, made on a conventional rapid prototyper, and the first complete working child RepRap machine, made by the RepRap on the left. The child machine made its first successful grandchild part at 14:00 hours UTC on 29 May 2008 at Bath University in the UK, a few minutes after it was assembled.