First 3D Printed Ever Invented Now on Display at Inventor's Hall of Fame

[Brian_Krassenstein]

Charles (Chuck) Hull invented the "SLA-1" back in 1983, when it was called a "rapid prototyping" machine, and he formed 3D Systems in 1986--but still, not too many know his name. Last year, Hull was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where he is honored among other famous innovators like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Now, alongside a 3D printed bust of Hull, the museum is offering visitors the opportunity to look at the first-ever 3D printer, the SLA-1. Read more about the inventor and his exhibit in the full story: http://3dprint.com/72171/first-3d-printer-chuck-hull/


Below is a photo from the National Inventors Hall of Fame with Hull's bust:

[JonS]

As an inventor (but not as a politician) Chuck Hull's contribution is far greater than Benjamin Franklin's. Franklin invented the lightning rod and bifocal spectacles. While not insignificant inventions, the name of the inventor would have been long forgotten were it not a famous historical character.

Many of the things that people commonly attribute to Franklin were not invented by him. He coined the term "battery" when describing the work of others that he had seen (actually it was a bank of capacitors, not electrochemical cells that he had seen demonstrated), and his famous kite flying experiment simply proved that lightning was the same thing as the tiny sparks generated by static.

While I'm at it, I'll also take the opportunity to point out that that charlatan Thomas Edison did not invent the lightbulb, even though he did invent other things. Edison only succeeded in making a working light bulb after copying Joseph Swan's UK patent. What's more arclights were the first electric lights and were invented by the English scientist Humphry Davy.

[curious aardvark]

batteries were invented by the egyptians :-)

What benjamin franklin or thomas eddison have to do with the inventor of the first ever 3d printer - I have no idea :-)