3D Printed Pipe Connectors, Awesome Practical Use

[RobH2]

Agreed. I'll tell you a trend I'm seeing a lot. And it's not necessarily their fault but a lot of people who are casual observers of 3d printing are seeing it as a replacement for all other manufacturing processes. No doubt, 3d printing is an exciting technology and is a game changer for many purposes. The fact that it's accessible to the common person is where the problems start. Regular folks don't know about or understand injection molding, blow molding, casting, extrusion and a host of other manufacturing processes. Few of these will be affected by 3d printing. But, 3d printing is all the buzz and everyone is clambering to figure out how they can become billionaires using it. Believe me, billionaires will be made with it over the next few years. I hope I'm one of them...lol...

I applaud people trying to find uses for 3d printers, but I also think it's dangerous to try to replace better production techniques with it. Part of the design process is wild exploration. You have to reach way out but you also have to come way back in when you find that it's not working. We certainly need to adopt and propel 3d printing but we need to keep our giddiness from causing us to make bad decisions about where and how to use it.

Where I see the attraction for the common man is the ability to cut out what we all know are huge profits from manufacturers. Why pay $29 for a phone case when you know it only costs them a few bucks to manufacture it? That makes us all mad. Why not make your own for a dollar of filament? That's exciting and there are certainly money saving opportunities for 3d printers being in everyone's home. But, in the end, you are only going to save hundreds of dollars and not thousands. After you print all of your cabinet knobs (that will have inferior finishes), your phone cases (that aren't as nice and slick as Apple's), your this and that, you will run out of things that you actually need to make on your own. I see so much promise for 3d printing and RepRap, but, I don't think it's going to change the world after the new smell is gone. It will give us a step up the ladder, but it's going to ease off I think unless there is another massive technological development associated with it such that it essentially becomes a Star Trek Replicator. Until that happens, it's just another tool in the kit for manufacturing, but not the Holy Grail.

Don't think I'm a hater because I do own and love my 3d printer. It has opened a world up for me that I had no access to. I don't have a metal shop so now I and prototype parts. It's so incredible for that. But, 99% of the public does not need to be able to do that. I'm just watching and observing the hype and trends. I hope that I am wrong and it changes the world in some profound way that I'm not currently seeing.

I'm laughing at myself now as I see what I just typed. Maybe I need to move this to "Off Topic." Anyway, I rambled a bit...