Is 3D printing over hyped ?

[brian777999]

Do you agree with this guy's assessment of 3D printing as being over hyped ? I realise that this was published in 2013 and a lot has happened in 3 years. 

 

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/05/why-3d-printing-is-overhyped-i-should-know-i-do-it-for-a-living/

 

I am particularly interested and concerned about the 3D software and how he regards this as very difficult to use for most people.

[alfsboy]

vastly

[Glorious NSE]

He's quite right I think.

However, keep in mind that we are in a hobby that firstly has a good use for a low (sometimes very low!) quantity production run which would result in a massive cost per item produced conventionally, which is why nobody has already produced it conventionally!

In addition, a fair proportion of us are very happy and capable to do additional finishing work...so whilst it may not be (and may never be) the answer for the kind of high end consumer items he's talking about, it's not a bad fit for a lot of model railroading bits.

I particularly like (for example) that a modeller in the US can create a useful design, and rather than having to deal with shipping small finished parts at extortionate costs half way round the world I can get that printed off (relatively) locally...

[Reorte]

^

I think that's pretty much the point of the article. There are numerous applications for 3D printing, it's just not the answer to every manufacturing job out there that some people seem to be painting it to be.

[pete_mcfarlane]

^

I think that's pretty much the point of the article. There are numerous applications for 3D printing, it's just not the answer to every manufacturing job out there that some people seem to be painting it to be.

I think some people have confused 3D printing with the replicators in Star Trek, and have assumed some kind of fantastic future where fully finished functioning model locos can be churned out by 3D printers. 

[railsquid]

I have an acquaintance who a couple of years ago was raving about the game-changing aspect and how it would totally disrupt the consumer market once everyone can print their own trainers or whatever, but having followed developments out of curiousity I can safely predict we're a long way off to being even anywhere vaguely resembling kind-of-close to the promise of magical print-anything-machines.

 

What I do think will happen is that it will replace some existing technologies or production methods while opening up a new range of possibilities, particularly in niche markets where small fiddly custom plastic parts are very useful - for example I think we might already be seeing obscure locomotives becoming available as 3d printed shells, which might not have been viable as conventional kits. Nothing for RTR manufacturers to fear (the chassis for these has got to come from somewhere...), on the other hand RTR manufacturers are also benefitting from 3d printing as a rapid prototyping facility.

 

Now what I'd really like to see is 3d printing offering a reasonably simple way to replace those crucial but fiddly and accident-prone plastic bits on objects of all kinds which break and render the object largely useless...

[Kelly]

A bit of yes, a bit of no.

 

Yes, it is hyped as the next biggest thing, which it has the potential to become. It is not quite there yet in terms of being affordable for most things. But for a lot of things it is affordable and suited.

 

Most of the major model manufacturers use it for their test builds rather than expensive injection moulds being made first to check how it fits and looks. Prototyping is its best use for a lot of things atm.

 

On the other hand, it is improving every week in some respects. New materials and techniques get found rapidly and it is a quickly evolving technology, especially within the 'hacker'* community. More expensive techniques are filtering down to the almost home affordable printers too.

 

As for 3D software, they can be difficult to understand, and can have a sharp learning curve. But in the case of the major CAD/CAM professional software such as 3DS Max or AutoCAD then they've got decades of history as part of that.

 

More recent and free software can be easier to use or understand, and there are a lot of youtube videos on the subject to guide through the learning processes.

 

*It should be noted I don't mean hacker as in hacking an account, but more the hack community that term themselves hackers.

[Kelly]

 

Now what I'd really like to see is 3d printing offering a reasonably simple way to replace those crucial but fiddly and accident-prone plastic bits on objects of all kinds which break and render the object largely useless...

 

That is a great deal more achievable than whole body shells for lager scales even now. Not greatly expensive to get a bogie frame or underframe box printed at somewhere like Shapeways. Just needs perseverance with the software really.

[grahame]

So can't you 3D print me a ST replicator? :-)

 

G.

[BG John]

For modelling, I think I'd prefer improved versions of machines like the Silhouettes, with a much greater cutting depth. It's not difficult to assemble many 3D models by laminating layers of smooth, cut plastic sheet. I know it won't produce all the shapes that 3D printing will, but maybe these can still come from castings, even if the masters have been 3D printed, and laboriously cleaned up once to make them usable for many castings.

 

3D prints may be great in the future, if/when the technology is much better, but it doesn't appeal to me at the moment. My only experience so far is with some pillars for a 4mm building, and the work involved in cleaning them up means I'll probably make some myself instead.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I have an acquaintance who a couple of years ago was raving about the game-changing aspect and how it would totally disrupt the consumer market once everyone can print their own trainers or whatever

I think that non-technical people look at the massive improvement in computers over the last 70 odd years (Moore's law), and assume that the same will be true for other technologies.

[Glorious NSE]

for example I think we might already be seeing obscure locomotives becoming available as 3d printed shells, which might not have been viable as conventional kits.

We are, they are starting to get common in N where the cost is much lower, but are even appearing in HO scale. But a very credible solution when the total market for some kind of commercial kit might be very small indeed...

http://www.shapeways.com/product/E2JJNGG3P/ho-scale-emd-f40phm-2-metra?li=search-results-1&optionId=57243977

[Kelly]

For modelling, I think I'd prefer improved versions of machines like the Silhouettes, with a much greater cutting depth. It's not difficult to assemble many 3D models by laminating layers of smooth, cut plastic sheet. I know it won't produce all the shapes that 3D printing will, but maybe these can still come from castings, even if the masters have been 3D printed, and laboriously cleaned up once to make them usable for many castings.

 

3D prints may be great in the future, if/when the technology is much better, but it doesn't appeal to me at the moment. My only experience so far is with some pillars for a 4mm building, and the work involved in cleaning them up means I'll probably make some myself instead.

 

I think it is definitely a matter of when rather than if. 3D printing is getting a lot of research the other side of the Atlantic by quite a number of companies, some of them big names.

 

I think that non-technical people look at the massive improvement in computers over the last 70 odd years (Moore's law), and assume that the same will be true for other technologies.

 

It is no longer really true for computers about Moore's law due to the problems associated with sub-14nm processes. They're having to come up with new ways of getting more performance, one of those ways is to stack rather than a flat sheet. But that is digressing a bit.

 

As for 3D printing, it is in use by Nasa as it is much easier and cheaper for them to 3D print items than send them up as a rocket payload. Still a bit limited, but with the likes of them funding it it will continue to improve rapidly over time. Of course, affordability for model use is an entirely seperate issue.

[Suzie]

He is just dispelling the myths that some people have. In practice quite a lot is achievable industrially, but you are not going to be able to do it at home with a printer from B&Q and some free software from Google.

 

I have a very nice 3D printed ceramic bowl which is of the finest quality, and cost about the same to print as buying a comparable mass produced one from the high street - so some things do not cost more than mass produced if you have access to the right tools, but that is key. I used a £4000 CAD program and got Shapeways to print it, it was not a home job.

 

Nick Allen does know what he is talking about. He can print stuff that Shapeways make a right hash of, and he does it at a third of the price. He understands how to do it, what is possible and what is practical.

[Robin2]

A guy gave a very interesting talk about building and using a 3D printer at the Midlands Model Engineering Exhibition (in 2014, I think).

 

His conclusion in short - if you are able to produce the CAD drawing necessary to provide data for a 3D printer just email it to someone with a high-end printer and get them to print it to a higher quality in a fraction of the time.

 

...R

[Phil Parker]

Modellers seem to have odd blind spots when looking at 3D printed parts. The same people who will scream about missing rivets on a plastic model are (apparently) quite happy to accept a 3D printed finish where the sides look like they are made from sandpaper.

 

Suddenly its, "I can smooth it off" - except that you can't sand the ABS it's made from (I know resins are available but modellers buy cheap) or "A thick coat of paint will sort it" - bye-bye detail then.

 

3D printing will be one of the many new tools for us to use when appropriate, just like etching and casting. It's not going to replace injection moulding for a very, very, long time and it's not going to save people the trouble of doing some modelling. If you can't be bothered to learn a few hand skills to wield a craft knife or soldering iron, are you going to put in the hours to become proficient at CAD?

 

I'll admit I find the subject fascinating and love watching the printers in action but then I'll still use traditional techniques.

[PhilH]

That there internet will never catch on either...

[BG John]

It seems to me that modelling has always been about buying or making components, then assembling them. 3D printed models (until the technology improves) seem to involve buying a finished product that's not fit for purpose, then spending hours fixing it!

[grahame]

I've made a few N gauge models using 3D prints but to be quite honest it's quite a fag. Trying to smooth down the stratification ridges is difficult and time consuming and you often end up smoothing away detail like door hinges and strapping. I can't wait until the printing resolution improves - but so far it hasn't and that is over the last three or four years.

 

Two things also not mentioned are that the acrylic material that they come in from Shapeways is fragile - drop it and it shatters - and that for rolling stock requiring windows (passenger carriages, etc) the thickness of the material sides means any glazing placed behind gives a horrid non-flush glazed look with window sills so deep that huge window boxes could be balanced on them.

 

G.

[Red Devil]

Aye, it's terrible that 3d stuff....

 

nd Pic

 

But then again, for something that no one else is going to produce for you then it is a bit of a boon....

 

The above is a 7mm scale Leeds Middleton Bogie tram, bodyshell in Prime Grey by IMaterialise...rest by traditional methods, transfers etc by another 'hobby producer' RMwebber).

 

So the whole thing was made possible by someone getting off their arse and doing something they wanted....

 

Over hyped? Probably.....Another tool in the box, definitely.

 

Model and pic by Tony Tieuli and used with his permision.

[Revolution Mike]

What my fellow Man Utd fan said! Not perfect but a tool like any other. I think the problem is customer expectations rather than overhype.

 

Cheers Mike

[GGresham]

All technology is overhyped at some point.  It's called marketing.  My challenge has always been to cut through the hype and figure out how useful something REALLY is.  Especially software.

 

But with 3D printing, the technology will eventually catch up with the hype.  That said, the average person is not going to be able to model their own printable objects anytime soon.

 

Gary

[raymw]

Consumer 3D printing is heading down to 'the trough of disillusionment'  http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3117917 same for manufacturing.

[stadman]

All part of "Multi Media" system and not a one stop fix.

As previously all white metal or all etched brass did not really work, neither I think would an entire 3d kit ( well it might for some purposes but nothing large especially where power is required).

Not to say it won't in future, technology has to start somewhere and would never get anywhere without early supporters. Just look at computers, mobile phones etc.

[Quarryscapes]

Depends who you talk to. I knew of 3D printing a very long time ago, My Dad works at college and he was telling me one day about how this machine made a fully working ball bearing set. Years later I wondered how much use it would be for modelling, found Shapeways and Google Sketchup and made my own trials. Suffice to say I've found it very useful - it's not a cure all for every modelling ill, but it can make some very nice models.

 

This is my latest one - it uses a kit of 3D printed bits to which are added etched corner plates and stanchions. The brake levers are now 3D printed - originally they were to be etched too but the extreme fiddle factor in trying to make the overly complex shape I couldn't manage. 

 

 

I've made much more complex things than this too, in one piece, but the limitations of 3D printing become all too obvious when you try and work in one piece, so breaking things down into smaller components that try and work with the characteristics of the print works best IMO. 

 

I once did a 2mm scale wagon underframe in a single piece with full brake detail, it was so fragile it didn't last long!