DISQUS

Tom_Craver · 1 year ago

Nice review - looking forward to the 2009 projections! I'd suggest you keep the current list (updated based on 2008 rates of progress) and add another 5-10.

The one item in the list that doesn't quite fit, is RepRap. It's making progress, but it's very, very far from achieving it's fundamental goal of making production accessible to anyone, like a 3D object printer. You might want to broaden that to "personal, automated production systems". The key value that RepRap and similar systems promise, is digital encoding and implementation of production to obviate the need for high levels of knowledge/skills, making 3D object production accessible to the masses.

The RepRap folks seem to take the "additive" approach as an article of faith, based on their vision of a 3D printer turning out finished objects without any operator intervention beyond loading the raw materials. But the RepRap reality is so far from achieving that vision, and turning out high quality /strong products, that I have to ask why one wouldn't prefer a more realistic approach that uses compact and reliable numerically controlled and monitored subtractive production. And there are projects out there that you might want to cover.

What's missing to make subtractive production widely accessible, is standardization of the automated tools, and design software. The design software would need to allow creation of 3D designs, and compilation of those designs to a clear sequence of operator directions and cutting/monitoring instructions for the tools. The monitoring aspects is key - incorporating feedback to the cutting, to insure that the tool is accomplishing the expected results, and to interactively recommend operator actions if it is not (e.g. "Please replace drill bit - would you like detailed instructions?")