Some questions

[fabius]

Hi everybody!
i'm a student.. and i'm searching some information about 3D printers:
who produces these printers?
who sell these printers?
and then, in general, who buy these printers?

until now i found that 3D system company sell printers for professional/home use. But they build them?

Thanks for the help

[Marcus]

Hello Fabius,
many companies produce these printers. Most entry level / "hobby-budget" devices are based on the Reprap project and are open-source.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
The aim is to create a simple, inexpensive and printable printer :-)
You can print it's parts (to some extend) and equip it with common electronic and hardware components.

A long time 3D printer have been very expensive and have been mostly used for rapid prototyping before producing a product (and creating expensive molds for example).
There are also applications such as visualization, customized products, small production line and so on.

Now that printers (both commercial and open source) get so cheap, it opens up many new uplications, especially for hobby enthusiasts.
Next to small businesses it's also usefull for artists, model-trains/planes/boats or just for people who are into electronics...

Check out http://makezine.com/3d-printer-guide/ for a technology and printer overview.

[fabius]

Hello Fabius,
many companies produce these printers. Most entry level / "hobby-budget" devices are based on the Reprap project and are open-source.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page
The aim is to create a simple, inexpensive and printable printer :-)
You can print it's parts (to some extend) and equip it with common electronic and hardware components.

A long time 3D printer have been very expensive and have been mostly used for rapid prototyping before producing a product (and creating expensive molds for example).
There are also applications such as visualization, customized products, small production line and so on.

Now that printers (both commercial and open source) get so cheap, it opens up many new uplications, especially for hobby enthusiasts.
Next to small businesses it's also usefull for artists, model-trains/planes/boats or just for people who are into electronics...

Check out http://makezine.com/3d-printer-guide/ for a technology and printer overview.

thanks man

[fabius]

Hi everyone!
I've a new little question!

Even if I'm a beginner Obj-c programmer (i've done only one app for iPhone with xCode) I would try to do an app for iDevice.. but i don't have ideas

Can someone help me?
please.. not impossible things!

[Marcus]

Perhaps the wrong place to ask for it, but as it's a 3D / 3D Prnting forum, how about some 3D-Printer tools?

(calculating how many mm filament are needed for x cubic milimenters, converting cubic volume units (mm, in, cm,...), how many layers will be in a print with Y height and 0.x mm layers... Stuff like that :-) )

[fabius]

Perhaps the wrong place to ask for it, but as it's a 3D / 3D Prnting forum, how about some 3D-Printer tools?

(calculating how many mm filament are needed for x cubic milimenters, converting cubic volume units (mm, in, cm,...), how many layers will be in a print with Y height and 0.x mm layers... Stuff like that :-) )

not bad.. i can think about it now I try to ask this question in a good section in this forum

lol i don't know where XD