The end of the gun debate!

VivaStPauli wrote:TL;DW

did it mention how all printed guns fell apart after a couple shots?
And those that didn't still need manufactured metal parts?

VivaStPauli wrote:TL;DW

did it mention how all printed guns fell apart after a couple shots?
And those that didn't still need manufactured metal parts?

VivaStPauli wrote:On a sidenote: I can also cook meth in my basement, anyone can do it.
Should we just hand it to anyone?

Hell, I can make bombs in my basement. Legalize?

rwo power wrote:Actually the US gun lobby should run rampant against the printing of guns - at the moment they are just interested in everybody being allowed to have guns as they want to sell them. If everybody can print their own guns, their business will collapse.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:From the video it looks like plastic to me. It's translucent, definitely not metal.

BarcaKizz wrote:http://vimeo.com/64432171 Perfect.

BarcaKizz wrote:http://vimeo.com/64432171 Perfect.

Swanhends wrote:Very very excited for John Oliver to get his crack at hosting the show this summer, he has earned it and I think he's gonna kill it

Yuri Yukuv wrote:

Swanhends wrote:Very very excited for John Oliver to get his crack at hosting the show this summer, he has earned it and I think he's gonna kill it

It will be like two colberts after each other


meh

VivaStPauli wrote:

BarcaKizz wrote:http://vimeo.com/64432171 Perfect.

Came in this thread to post this.

In June, Staples will become among the first major retailers to offer a 3D printer. It will also be among the first to offer an affodable one, with 3D Systems’ Cube 3D printer being sold for $1,299, the company announced on Friday.

Although $1,299 may seem expensive, there was a time when the cheapest dot matrix or impact printers cost more than that. The price will inevitably come down.

The Cube 3D Printer works with both Windows and Mac OS X. It comes with 25 templates with more available online.

It's unlikely that 3D Systems will see massive sales of the Cube 3D Printer, but the publicity alone might be worth it. It's unclear if this model will be powerful enough to print a gun, but with the first blueprints for such a weapon to be released online next week, if the dimensions are small enough -- the Cube 3D Printer can print items up to 5.5" x 5.5" x 5.5” -- you can bet someone will try.

As with any printer, the money is mostly in the consumables. 3D Systems sells its Cubify Invent software as well as plastic cartridge refills, CubeSticks, which stabilize the object being printed and go for $9.99, and replacement Cube Print Pads, which will cost $99.99.

3D PRINTING GOES PRIME TIME AS STAPLES TO OFFER “EASY 3D” SERVICE

Excited about the potential of 3D printing but not quite ready to invest in a printer for your home? Then you are just the market that Staples is looking to woo as it moves into the 3D printing space.

In a partnership with Ireland-based commercial 3D printer manufacturer Mcor Technologies, the office chain megastore will be launching the “Staples Easy 3D” service. Through the company website, customers upload design files for printing and can then opt to either pick them up at the local store or have them delivered. The service is scheduled to launch in early 2013 in The Netherlands and Belgium, and plans to bring it to U.S. stores are surely in the works.

If you’re curious why these two companies make good bedfellows, the service will utilize Mcor’s IRIS 3D printer, which cuts regular A4 office paper to form 0.1mm layers. Photorealistic color printing of each sheet is possible in over a million colors with resolutions of 5760 x 1440 x 508dpi thanks to Mcor’s True Color technology, according to the company’s website. Each sheet is then glued together to form a compact model with a hardness close to wood. The surrounding support paper is then removed from the object by the technician.

Here’s the promotional video for the service (note it loops ad infinitum):





It’s important to point out that this promo is somewhat misleading. It gives the impression that all you have to do is upload a picture of the object you want printed, but the IRIS printer requires a CAD file format. A single 2D image doesn’t translate into a 3D scan, unless a sophisticated object recognition system was used. Now, a series of images can be used to build 3D models using the free 123D Catch app from AutoDesk, for instance, but it doesn’t appear as if Staples is adding anything like this to the program, at least at this stage of the game.

On the surface, this move by the office supply chain store could be interpreted in two different ways. On one hand, it may look like a natural evolution of 2D paper printing into 3D paper printing, now that the cost of 3D printers has decreased and demand for the services have increased. This is feasible considering that the company has found a clever way to extend the utility of a product they already carry, paper. In addition, Mcor claims that the IRIS printer has the highest color capability and lower operating cost of any commercial printer, making a low-cost risk to test the service with customers.

On the other hand, one could interpret this announcement as a desperation grab from a staple (pun intended) in yet another industry being made obsolete by the digitization of just about everything and online superstores like Amazon.

Regardless of why Staples is starting the program, it will likely be a good thing for 3D printing as it will be yet another avenue for the masses to get into this emerging technology. In fact, 3D printing “photo booths” are starting to show up across the globe, with other large companies like Disney experimenting with what the tech can do for its brand. Furthermore, we are still far from a time when there’s a 3D printer in every home, so this is an ideal window for a company like Staples to gauge interest and perform some market research. After all, the stores do carry regular printers as well, why not 3D printers in a few years?

In a few years time, the landscape of 3D printing will surely look much different, and I’m sure we’ll look back at this time and wonder why there was so much trepidation about a no-brainer technology. Until then, each tiny step that 3D printing takes gets longer in stride, and surely it will be only a matter of time before it is in a full gallop.

To get a sense of how realistic the finished printed objects look, check out this short video that shows what the IRIS printer can produce: