I’m sure many (most?) readers here have seen the Make article on new 3D printers coming to market.
Sintering!
Resin with almost no visible layering and 25 to 100 times faster!
Carbon composites that rival metal parts!
Embedded electronic circuitry!
http://makezine.com/2015/12/07/1s-2-watch-sleek-machines-poised-change-3d-printing/
Sorry for all the exclamation points–first coffee of the morning…
Thanks for the link. I have been holding out on a 3D printer waiting for the next level of advancements. Sounds like these are worth a closer look.
I think that a couple more technological generations and then we’ll see a much more usable 3D printing market. I have a standard 3D printer now and it is far from consumer friendly (I can’t imagine giving one of these to anyone that is not highly technical), is too slow, and the parts that come out just don’t have the quality that you would expect from a manufactured item. It’s fun to play with but as a tool to make “real” things it’s not quite there yet. The future is going to be amazing though!
The Markforged interested me. And I have been waiting for the Carbon3D since I first saw them start up the press for the tech. But none of them appeal for me at the prices available right now.
In the comments someone mentions the Raise3D. That is one huge printer. But suffers the same setback… if I am going to invest that heavily, I want something considerably better for the end product.
A nice little sub $500 PLA printer, and then a home built aluminum foundry is a quick way to get serviceable parts cheaply. And for anyone doing things so very often that these price points make sense against the effort of mold and cast approaches… a full size CNC seems a better move than the printers.
I am sure I would sing a different story if I had one on hand. But that would mean removing the price as a factor, and really that is the only issue I have with them. Not personally worth what it takes for me just yet.