3D Printing - Could it end hands on creativity.

I am not a technophobe by any means, but I can't help thinking that 3D printing will be the go to way of ''making things'' in the future, I am quite sure we will one day have a 3D printer in every home like you would have a microwave, then we can go online order something (like regular shopping) and your printer will print it out (printers and materials will only get better) I love this idea its great.

But on the flip side, say I want to make a replica blaster or something, I would then draw up plans, get it to scale spend days and days pouring over it all gathering parts, building the thing painting it etc etc and so on and I love all that its fun, creative, and good to show off talent something made totaly from scratch.

With a 3D printiner you can simply download a CAD and print it and its done and you have an object :unsure???

I think the world of making things in the future will consist mainly of CAD programers who draw it in a computer and print out what ever you want, and that will take over the world of problem solvers and people who make parts using tools and machines,

I know of school children now that learn these basic principles of drawing in CAD and using 3D printers and I have personaly never used one?, it is kind of already making me feel obsolete, I mean think about all the people whole make casts and the process involved in that! I can't find a single application that 3D printing will one day take over in this sort of industry..

I wont slam 3D printing I want one for my self but I can see a point in time when all these other skills will be lost to a computer drawing and a printer :confused

I was watching a thing on YouTube and they had a 3D printed gun on show from Bladrunner, and I could not help think, well you didnt do anything, you drew it and the printer made it? but the conversation they were having was like it was all skill and personal intervention.

Thoughts?? but lets keep it like more of a philosophical debate

I do a lot of fabrication, machining, designing, & utilizing 3D printing. There are pros & cons of each as well as benefits. I make things based on complexity, cost, & time. I try to do & make most of my own stuff, not always if I can work out a deal here or there, for costumes cause that is what I enjoy doing.

There will always be fabrication, machining, casting, & sculpting required for many things.

The 3D printer is just another tool to be able to create & reproduce pieces in great detail.

The design process to can be very time consuming if you are creating something complex. There are very simple things that are easy to design & don't take much time, but when getting into complex multiple piece assemblies the time & skill to design these goes up. Not all people designing work for free so there is a cost that will be associated with that, cause in the end it is still there time, there isn't an easy button that spits out designs. To say that the designer didn't do anything but draw it is belittling the skill & knowledge that they have in using the CAD software & the understanding of how things fit & function together. I look as designing something in CAD as virtual fabrication cause you do the majority of the work up front with your design to minimize the work on the finishing end.

Comparing 3D printing to molding/casting it is very similar but requires a different skill set for each with the same outcome.

With molding/casting you take the time to make a mold of the item that you want to make whether it is a reproduction or a sculpted piece. The mold creates a negative of the desired piece. Once the mold is made either resin or fiberglass it used to fill or create layers to make the piece desired. I know this is the simple version which in reality is more complex & involves great skill.

With 3D printing in my thinking the model is the mold in a virtual sense. Creating a positive of the piece desired. The 3D printer can be used with varying materials creating layers to produce the piece desired, automating the molding process. The making of this is not just in the 3D printing but also in the design of the model.

Working in a modern, progressive tool & die shop for 25 years I have seen this evolution with the machine/tooling industry. The use of CNC & Wire EDM machines simplifying the manufacturing process & reducing the use of manual machines. Yes, it has reduced some of the skills but other skills had to be developed. There are still times when the manual machining methods need to apply.

Like everything technology advances things. I don't think that 3D printing will eliminate fabrication but will enhance it & is a great tool form making things come to reality.

3D printing definitely serves its purpose. For instance it would have taken me a very long time to go out and find my own authentic dental files for my helmet. Instead I was able to just simply get on shapeways and get a set from Toolguy and have it shipped to me in a few days. Does that mean I wouldn't still like a set of authentic dental files? No not at all and if I ever happen across a set I'll certainly pick them up but for hard to find parts its just so much simpler. I don't personally think that 3D printing will ever completely kill off fabrication since a lot of people just like to build things and have something that feels real. I know id rather have an authentic Graflex replica saber handle made with the correct parts than a 3D printed one. The long and the short of it is it'll fill a void for certain things but will mostly just become a useful way to get cool unique things for better prices.

Great response to the question guys, nice to see it from a different perspective. I do wonder what the limits of 3d printing will be in say 10 years, amazing stuff really...

I've embraced 3D printing because I'm better at modeling in the 3D space, rather than making something with my hands...I just don't have that creative of an imagination to make things like many of you do. My brain seems to thrive better in a CAD environment. To think that someone printing an object, didn't really do anything, couldn't be further from the truth; its just a difference of skills. I've learned the hard way, that many of the models I download are full of errors. Learning how to fix a complex model can be extremely challenging. If you're like me, you have custom built printers to get bigger, higher res prints...so there's that learning curve. After all is said and done, most prints require post work...lots of sanding, bondo and paint...just like scratch made props. A perfect example of that, is the jetpack that I'm printing right now. I had some problems while printing, so I'm having to sand and bondo like crazy.


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i think everyone has made a great point....toolguy said it best for me for he said exactly what i have been thinking for a while !!! Have you ever taken a moment and just looked at all the different objects that the star wars modelers used to create all the things we hold dear to us from that world? piano keys-dental files-borden 3 hole for data port- the list is endless....point being if they had just 3d printed all that stuff would it be as cool now trying to reproduce it all...? not for me ! but the point of 3d printing being just another tool in the old tool chest is accurate.

Man I don't want to be left behind, I need me a 3D printer and as for CAD I have never used it @CypherRaxx I am the other way I can't work with something I can't seen and touch so the thought of a digital ''build'' makes me think I would end up with something that came out of the matter transporter at the end of the Fly

I will embrace it, I will get one, I still am looking for a good lathe and mill I will add the 3D printer to the list and beg for help when it arrives

Yeah I don't know what it is, but if I were to hold a block of wood or metal, my brain would check out. But if you put me in front of a monitor, where I can create shapes, my brain does this thing like in the TV show Davinci's Demons...pieces start dropping into place, literally lol.


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3D renders are just another way of expressing the spark. The function and intention are the same. Use the tools that work for you.

3D printing is great, but I wish someone would make a cheap 3D painter already...

nicely said !

ikinaceous said:

3D renders are just another way of expressing the spark. The function and intention are the same. Use the tools that work for you.

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what is cheap to you? Plenty of printers around the $200-300 mark, some in kits, some not. You can get a quality printer for the same or less than the cost of a fett jetpack kit.

Filer said:

3D printing is great, but I wish someone would make a cheap 3D painter already...

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Yep, I know there are quality 3D printers on the market for cheap - I really did mean a 3D painter, that wasn't a typo. Put my primed helmet in there and come out ROTJ I'm a few hours would be awesome.

shenphong said:

what is cheap to you? Plenty of printers around the $200-300 mark, some in kits, some not. You can get a quality printer for the same or less than the cost of a fett jetpack kit.

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Filer said:

Yep, I know there are quality 3D printers on the market for cheap - I really did mean a 3D painter, that wasn't a typo. Put my primed helmet in there and come out ROTJ I'm a few hours would be awesome.

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as in 3D ink printing? that's a good concept, soon I bet you will be able to 3D print and object and render it with paint right after.

One of the things that amazed me about 3d printing was how far its already advanced. I'm no CAD professional so there is a lot about the design process I don't understand but the basic concept is simple. Put in plastic and out comes object. What I don't get is some of the materials that can be printed in. For instance I was playing around on shapeways just looking for cool stuff and I saw some items that were able to be printed in stainless steel and sandstone. I just don't get how you can print something out of rock? Also stainless is some pretty hard stuff so it must be one heck of fancy printer. I do also like that 3D printing is being used for more than just model making and similar fields. I saw a news article once in some magazine about a giant 3D printer that was being set up to 3D print houses. It was one giant printer that was able to be rolled around with equipment to just move to another plot of land and print the next house. I think it'll be a very long time before anyone 3D prints a home that would hold up to the same standards as a conventionally made house but still that's pretty impressive.

Not a chance that 3D printers will kill hands on, but it will help (eventually) make things a bit less expensive for those wanting it made that way. Too many people who want to make art do so with the intent of hands on. Also, Drax, as I understand it, inexpensive metal 3D will be a while coming as these machine aren't cost effective yet. I don't keep up on this much, so what I'm thinking may be a bit dated, but as I understand it, 3D metal printers are only utilized with commercial usage so far. Unless you're a multimillionaire and can't stand not having one to play with.

Technology improving will only make it easier to translate your ideas and dreamed art into reality. Butthere will ALWAYS be craftsman in our midst.

silvermitt said:

but as I understand it, 3D metal printers are only utilized with commercial usage so far. Unless you're a multimillionaire and can't stand not having one to play with.

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You're semi correct. I can print with filaments that contain alloy, bronze and magnetic iron...which can be processed just like normal. The alloy and bronze can buffed and polished, and the iron can rust. And in all actually, they're not more than about $50 a spool.

But how much are the printers for said materials? That's the limiting aspect I think.

Low temp metals are fun, aren't they? My husband and I look forward to finally getting a bit of space away from the city to do more fun stuff. We have a nice kiln in the garage just wasted as we can't use it here.

Pretty much most printers can print with those filaments. Mine is around $900 I think, but I know people who have Folger Tech Kossel delta printers ($300), who print statues all the time in the bronze and iron.


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CypherRaxx said:

Pretty much most printers can print with those filaments. Mine is around $900 I think, but I know people who have Folger Tech Kossel delta printers ($300), who print statues all the time in the bronze and iron.

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Well, see.. that's news to me. I had no idea.