
Fab@Home: using fabbers - machines that can make almost anything, right on your desktop - gasull
http://fabathome.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
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tjic
Building stuff is cool.

Universal machines / replicators are cool.

Early prototypes of things that will be better in a few generations are cool.

However, Fab@Home and RepRap are sad, and make my embarassed for them.

I posted a longer rant to BoingBoing a while back:

[http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/04/reprap-universal-
con.ht...](http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/04/reprap-universal-
con.html#comment-203341)

I'm hugely interested in self replicating machinery, metalworking, and other
forms of constructing items (I launched SmartFlix based on these interests).

...and I've done a fair bit of reading on RepRap (I was considering building
one a year or so back).

I am dramatically underwhelmed.

The construction is shoddy, the technique (basically hot-glue extrusion of
thermoplastics) is hackish and has poor tolerances, the concept of "self
replication" is grossly dumbed down (a very very large number of parts are not
constructed, even from high quality inputs, but just store bought), etc., etc.

In short, I was fairly embarrassed for the RepRap folks.

Their toy is somewhat cool (although nowhere near as cool as, say, the Gingery
lathe that is cast from aluminum melted in a cast iron cookpot, and machines
itself as construction progresses), but to claim that it represents any
important step forward in self replication ...

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
Let's not be _too_ depressed :-) RepRap's main claim to fame is that it is
cheap to build. I listened to a podcast (with Gavin Bowman? is that his name)
and that's exactly what he said. My employer has a Stratasys rapid prototyping
machine that cost about $50,000. You can build a reprap for about $150.

It's a step forward. Like someone said, we're at the Altair stage here, not
the Apple IIe.

------
noonespecial
So does this mean that the concept of a patent fails completely? You are
allowed to make use of any patented technology for personal, non-commercial
purposes. This machine, once fully mature, can conceivably make nearly
anything. Will there be a napster for car parts?

I just love disruptive technology.

~~~
gasull
_You are allowed to make use of any patented technology for personal, non-
commercial purposes._

IANAL, but this is very surprising. Why then people don't make, say, a
motorbike in a workshop instead of buying it?

~~~
eru
Perhaps the benefits of division of labour outweight the inconvenience of
paying for patents, or - say - taxes?

~~~
gasull
Yes, but a workshop-cooperative could outweight both. If patents don't prevent
this I'm surprised nobody is doing it already.

Maybe this is a start:

[http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/diy-innovation-newton-
tech-...](http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/diy-innovation-newton-tech-
egang08-cz_vb_0813newton.html)

------
Bjoern
Here is another one. <http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome>

------
sown
This is neat(!).

Keep in mind that this is the MITS Altair of future home fabbers. It can't do
much but just come back in 30 years or so. ;)

~~~
mixmax
Try 5 years

;-)

~~~
marvin
Rapid prototyping is nice, but today's rapid prototyping machines can't make
"almost anything", not by a long shot. They can make a lot of pretty neat
things, but not very much valuable. I have seen cup holders, iPod accessories,
shot glasses and various kinds of support material. All in plastic, of course
- these parts will not stand up to any significant forces. You can't make a
combustion engine out of them, or anything requiring significant rigidity.
(Want a skateboard? Keep dreaming).

I'm very excited about the future of rapid prototyping, but the headline is
_very_ misleading.

Other manufacturing machines also look promising (computer-controlled laser
mills, CNC mills, etc), but I'm pretty skeptical that they will be available
at reaasonable prices in the near future. I hope you'll prove me wrong,
though.

