A new way to Fab parts for the GS

[jake42]

Read about this build it at home fabricating printer project in this month's Popular Science.  This guy at Cornell has decided that it should be completely open source and has made his own webpage that tells you step by step how to build a printer that can fabricate objects.

http://fabathome.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Check out some of the videos on the site.

Jake

[GeeP]

$2,300 to build?!  You can buy 2J vari-speed Bridgeport or a well-tooled Clausing 4900 series lathe for that.  Maybe even have money left over.

You could also buy an old Bridgeport BOSS series machine, convert it to Gecko drivers and PC control, and have a reasonable home-shop CNC mill.  For a few grand more you could scrounge a ready to run Bridgeport Interact 2, maybe with tooling.

Then you could make things out of more than just cake icing and silicone goo.   

I do admit it is an interesting concept.  In the future, once the technology has matured somewhat, it may serve to democratize the business of prototype work.

[Turd Ferguson]

We used Kansas State's rapid prototyping machine a few times through college.  It works great for prototyping, but as GeeP said, the parts are made of a soft plastic.  This is deffinately an interesting concept for prototyping, though.

CNC routers aren't very hard or expensive to build.

-Turd.

[jake42]

Ok I understand that it's pricey, but since I'm not building this nor a CNC machine it's kind of a moot point. 

I just liked the idea of them making it completely open source and encouraging people to tinker with the idea.

Jake

[CasiUSA]

But what happens when it gets smart enough to realize that it can just fabricate copies of itself and build an army of fabricators strong enough to take over the world? 

[bubba zanetti]

But what happens when it gets smart enough to realize that it can just fabricate copies of itself and build an army of fabricators strong enough to take over the world? 

That would be the day after Skynet becomes self aware 

[nightrider]

"Verily I say unto thee, behold, I come quickly, with the tools of men which shall take form and multiply among you." Rev 14:3