Your next multitool could be a portable 3D printer

[Ombudsman]

I found this article about mobile fabrication:

Check out the 3D printer that could replace your multi-tool

Basically what they propose is to carry a pocket-sized 3D printer and make whatever tool you might need, on the spot.


The concept is very interesting, specially when you think in metamaterial mechanisms like this One Piece Pliers

[Sea Monster]

My first response I suppose is "No, It couldn't" 

While it's cool from a Star Trek sort of angle...

I think saying "we can make an allen key, sort of, with this" is a far cry from "this is the solution for cycling repairs!"

[sLaughterMed]

Until 3D printers can anneal, cold work and heat treat the metals it produces, this wont be replacing any tools. Just because a 3D printer can emulate the shape of a screwdriver, doesnt mean it is actually be able to stand up to the stress of turning the screw.

[Etherealicer]

Ten years ago, no-one was thinking about 3D printing or though it would be available so quickly and so cheaply that soon. So, never underestimate technological progress.

I think it can and will be part of future maintenance kit. But rather than tools it will first replace replacement parts or help manufacture fixes for broken parts (braces and stuff).
Think about it, the repair guy shows up... sees that a part of your xy-machine is broken. A couple of clicks on his smartphone, and by the time he is at his car, the replacement part is printed and ready for installation.
Ultimately, you don't gain much by replacing tools, I think replacement parts have a much larger potential.

[Sea Monster]

Think about it, the repair guy shows up... sees that a part of your xy-machine is broken. A couple of clicks on his smartphone, and by the time he is at his car, the replacement part is printed and ready for installation.

As an aside - I sent a mechanic to repair some old vehicles....

He couldn't get parts, so he gave up.

I had to send a boilermaker in to "make" parts.


Note for Everyone: Keep up the "old fashioned" skills, some times modern conveniance is not available - If in 20 years time, all the tradies we have only know how to use a 3D printer, well I don't have a good metaphor or anything, but it won't be good.

[Etherealicer]

Think about it, the repair guy shows up... sees that a part of your xy-machine is broken. A couple of clicks on his smartphone, and by the time he is at his car, the replacement part is printed and ready for installation.

As an aside - I sent a mechanic to repair some old vehicles....

He couldn't get parts, so he gave up.

I had to send a boilermaker in to "make" parts.


Note for Everyone: Keep up the "old fashioned" skills, some times modern conveniance is not available - If in 20 years time, all the tradies we have only know how to use a 3D printer, well I don't have a good metaphor or anything, but it won't be good.

Yeah, especially since there won't be 3D files available for older stuff. Adding to that, anything hand-made can't be easily fixed.

[Grant Lamontagne]

As a concept I think there is some merit.  You have to be careful when you discuss mechanical and scientific advancements and say they won't work because that has a way of coming back and biting you in the bum.  Canards on airplanes were tried and abandoned years ago because they offered too much agility in an aircraft and pilots couldn't handle it.  But, with modern flight computers, canards are helping aircraft do some pretty cool things.  Also, Cadillac attempted to create a cylinder management system in the 70's that allowed 4 of the 8 cylinders to shut down when not in use to conserve fuel, but then open up again when the power was needed, and it failed miserably.  Fast forward thirty years, and virtually every V8 engine is running a similar system.

I agree with Beat- I think 3D printing is going to be more effective for parts replication than tool replication.  While holding a light may not require a serious tool, what if it had been the gooseneck or the tire that had come loose.  Are you going to trust an essential, high stress component that was tightened just to the point that an impromptu plastic wrench could tighten?  I know I am not- I've had a gooseneck let go on me in the past, and it is not a pleasant experience, and I lost a quarter of my face one when a wheel of a bicycle decided to go it's own way.



Also, the challenges that you would face with such a system also may not make it worthwhile.  Even if the weight of the unit could be somehow brought down, the battery required to keep it functional for 25 minutes seems like it might be a bit beyond current tech.  I have to charge my phone twice a day, and it's not heating plastic or moving a print head.  It's not convenient to have to carry around a car battery just to make a screwdriver.

Then there is the weight of the supply material.  Most filament is sold in 1kg (2.2lbs) spools, but I suppose you could anticipate your needs and carry around 2-3 feet worth and hope that's enough to make whatever you need to make.  Of course, even that would start to add up if you had a metal printer.

The time for the fix shown in the video is also unacceptable to me.  I am not going to wait 25 minutes for a wrench to print out when I want to bike home.  I am not going to take ten minutes to make a wrench to bike home.  I am going to tighten it by hand, or I am going to hold it while I cycle, or I am just going to do without it.  I realise this was just an example of what you could do, not what you should do, because if it was then you'd just spend $10 on a set of Allen wrenches to keep in your bag rather than $1500 on a portable 3D printer.  But, if it is as functional as they say, then they should have been able to come up with a better example.

The last thing is, that often the bits you need to replicate are not always going to be available online.  Being a Canadian I often encounter parts that aren't included on the US or other market items.  How screwed are you at the side of the road, needing a small, but essential bracket for something, but there is no design available online?  Are you then going to use 3D design software at the side of the road to reconstruct the part, then wait 25 minutes for your printer to crank it out, all the while hoping that the battery will last long enough to actually do it?

There absolutely is potential for this sort of thing.  I think it is going to be a while before we see an actual, workable solution available, but I can see the benefit of having it available, if not mobile.

For example, my parents are a two hour drive (on a good day!) from the nearest city.  This means that if something otherwise simple to replace (like for example the plastic bracket that holds your fridge door in place) breaks, they have to drive for two hours to get the replacement part, assuming the dealer in the city even has one. In a best case scenario, they are gone all day, while everything in their fridge spoils. For them, a 3D printer (and either online specs from the manufacturer or a 3D scanner) would be very beneficial, even if the 3D printed component isn't up to spec for long term use, it can hold the door until they can get to and from the dealer, or a few days until they are ready to make the trip for other things as well.

The question is, are manufacturers going to want to allow you to download and recreate parts, especially ones that are patented if it means they can't then sell you the part you need?  Or is it going to turn out like Napster, where it becomes at best, semi legal in some places?

Def

[Sea Monster]

they are gone all day, while everything in their fridge spoils

Most fridges have adjustable feet, so they could raise the front and let gravity hold the door,
Or put a chair up against it.















I just wanted to be helpful.....

[Etherealicer]

The question is, are manufacturers going to want to allow you to download and recreate parts, especially ones that are patented if it means they can't then sell you the part you need?  Or is it going to turn out like Napster, where it becomes at best, semi legal in some places?

Def

I doubt they will, at least not straight up.

However there are plenty of options around that:
- licenced repair men that can access their 3D files.
- Then there is DRM, with the right hard-/software they could sell you the 3D-file for a single print.

Ultimately, there is hope that some visionary will create "open source" appliances.
Or law will require manufacturer to grant access to 3D plans.

[Grant Lamontagne]

The question is, are manufacturers going to want to allow you to download and recreate parts, especially ones that are patented if it means they can't then sell you the part you need?  Or is it going to turn out like Napster, where it becomes at best, semi legal in some places?

Def

I doubt they will, at least not straight up.

However there are plenty of options around that:
- licenced repair men that can access their 3D files.
- Then there is DRM, with the right hard-/software they could sell you the 3D-file for a single print.

Ultimately, there is hope that some visionary will create "open source" appliances.
Or law will require manufacturer to grant access to 3D plans.

I think that I would rather spend the money on a matching 3D scanner, fit the old part together as best as I can and scan it, then print a new one.  I hate relying on other people to do something useful.

Def

[Etherealicer]

The question is, are manufacturers going to want to allow you to download and recreate parts, especially ones that are patented if it means they can't then sell you the part you need?  Or is it going to turn out like Napster, where it becomes at best, semi legal in some places?

Def

I doubt they will, at least not straight up.

However there are plenty of options around that:
- licenced repair men that can access their 3D files.
- Then there is DRM, with the right hard-/software they could sell you the 3D-file for a single print.

Ultimately, there is hope that some visionary will create "open source" appliances.
Or law will require manufacturer to grant access to 3D plans.

I think that I would rather spend the money on a matching 3D scanner, fit the old part together as best as I can and scan it, then print a new one.  I hate relying on other people to do something useful.

Def

Agreed

But then you carry tools for a reason... many people don't.
About 3D scanning. They are potential game-changers. If tcheap, high-def 3D scanners get widely available, then they will push the 3D-printing revolution

[Syph007]

Until 3D printers can anneal, cold work and heat treat the metals it produces, this wont be replacing any tools. Just because a 3D printer can emulate the shape of a screwdriver, doesnt mean it is actually be able to stand up to the stress of turning the screw.

Yes exactly correct.

I used to say the only purpose of them is to prototype, but they can also be used to make molds for mass producing things.  They are for sure not ideal for any mass production or low cost items.  To me its neat but not practical for anything that interests me since I work only in metals.  If plastic is your thing then maybe.  But for tools, no.

[AimlessWanderer]

Is the printer OHO and does it have a pocket clip 

Maybe breakdown recovery trucks might carry one eventually, with a list of digital files for the parts which have already been deemed safe to be produced and used in whatever print media is available at the time.

Maybe temporary dental crowns may be produced this way. Or maybe spectacle lenses.

Maybe large ocean going ships will have something in their maintenance bay.

EDC printers? Nah!

[Sea Monster]

About 3D scanning. They are potential game-changers. If tcheap, high-def 3D scanners get widely available, then they will push the 3D-printing revolution

There's two questions you have to ask yourself every time you bring a new product to market

"Can we sell it to the Weight-Loss industry?"

"Can we sell it to the Sex industry?"

The latter, in this case, seems like a niche waiting to be filled by 3D scanners. Especially with all the long distance online-relationships going on....

Maybe breakdown recovery trucks might carry one eventually, with a list of digital files for the parts which have already been deemed safe to be produced and used in whatever print media is available at the time.[...]
Maybe large ocean going ships will have something in their maintenance bay.

Heh, might save the damned roadside repair guy driving 400kms out to deliver the WRONG FRIGGIN PART!

As for ships - If they move my coffee machine to put a 3D printer in, so help me they'll have bigger problems than spare parts to worry about 

[Etherealicer]

As for ships - If they move my coffee machine to put a 3D printer in, so help me they'll have bigger problems than spare parts to worry about 

Or you print out a coffee machine that also bakes croissants

[Mechanickal]

As for ships - If they move my coffee machine to put a 3D printer in, so help me they'll have bigger problems than spare parts to worry about 

Or you print out a coffee machine that also bakes croissants

Or you print out croissants

[Etherealicer]

As for ships - If they move my coffee machine to put a 3D printer in, so help me they'll have bigger problems than spare parts to worry about 

Or you print out a coffee machine that also bakes croissants

Or you print out croissants

Joke is on you 

Boring video, I recommend fast-forwarding to 2:00


Also NASA prints food.

[Mechanickal]

As for ships - If they move my coffee machine to put a 3D printer in, so help me they'll have bigger problems than spare parts to worry about 

Or you print out a coffee machine that also bakes croissants

Or you print out croissants

Joke is on you 

Boring video, I recommend fast-forwarding to 2:00


Also NASA prints food.

Where are the croissants??  ?

[Fortytwo]

As for the strength of the prints, it very much depends on material and printer. I happen to know that 3D printing is used to make gas turbine fan blades and those spin at ridiculous speeds. It is however the most convenient way of running cooling ducts through them. So my first impression of 3D printing, that the technology would only be used for prototyping, was clearly erroneous. My current belief is that there will be three main usage areas, two of which are similar.

• Prototyping.
• Small production runs, this would be similar to prototyping but also include spare parts that might not be economical to keep in stock.
• Special applications, where casting or machining just won't work. e.g. the turbine blades where small, bent ducts are wanted in an otherwise solid object.

I still firmly believe that the people who initially* hyped it as replacing investment casting and machining are at best many years to early but most likely have no idea about industrial manufacturing processes.

It's interesting to note how this technology has seen so much hype as well as fear (of homemade guns) when basic mills and lathes have been out there for anyone to use for ages without issuing this revolution of homemade spare parts.

*As in, when the hype started to build, not some twenty odd years ago when the tech was being invented.

[Etherealicer]

It's interesting to note how this technology has seen so much hype as well as fear (of homemade guns) when basic mills and lathes have been out there for anyone to use for ages without issuing this revolution of homemade spare parts.

I believe there are several reasons for this.

- 3D Printing requires ZERO skills. You can download the plans and then print your replacement part. Or you can have someone in Russia make the 3D plan for you at relatively low prices.
- 3D Printing requires a different skills suitable for the urbane computer crowd. 3D sketching is very different from traditional crafting by hand.
- Lots of people already had 3D constructs on their computer, and now they have a technology that allows them to make them real.
- 3D printing does not make dirt (dust). Lots of people don't have a workshop, so being able to do it in your living room is a blessing.
- Basic 3D printers are cheap, where as a CNC mill/lathes are expensive
- Plastic is a great material for hobby work as it is easily colored and worked and unlike wood has no kinks.

[Blackbeard]

I think that was more like a hot glue gun than a 3d printer

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's an interesting concept- a hot glue gun as part of your EDC....

I wonder if there are decent battery operated models that don't cost a fortune?

Def

[Etherealicer]

That's an interesting concept- a hot glue gun as part of your EDC....

I wonder if there are decent battery operated models that don't cost a fortune?

Def

Bosch has 2 models, the hot GluePen should run somewhere around 20$ and the PKP 3,6 LI priced somewhere around 35$ (prices in Switzerland).

[Grant Lamontagne]

Thanks for that- I'll have a look at them. 

Def