
Turning a shipping container into a 3D printer - cleverjake
http://hackaday.com/2012/09/24/turning-a-shipping-container-into-a-3d-printer
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shimon_e
It's going to fail. You can't reach industrial scales like this. These things
need maintenance and that isn't going to be cheap on a shipping container
moving slowly around the globe.

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objclxt
I doubt a shipping container that needs to be stood up on its end is intended
for mass use, since most equipment capable of transporting containers isn't
designed to tip them over!

However, that doesn't mean something like this couldn't work on an industrial
scale in the future. There's a UK TV programme I saw last week about house
building (it's called Grand Designs, if you want to look it up) which featured
a house made entirely from CNC milled ply-wood boxes that were made 'on-
demand' onsite, using a computer controlled milling machine shipped in on...a
shipping container.

It is not a massive step from a CNC miller in a portable shipping container to
a 3D printer. There are several advantages (...and disadvantages) to this
approach, including being able to re-make pieces on-site should you have to
make adjustments due to environmental conditions.

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shimon_e
That makes sense. The idea over here is to make consumer goods while
manufacturing equipment is sailing the seven seas. Economically stupid. Maybe
they could be successful targeting the luxury market or abusing the tax
system. I wouldn't be surprised if this is solely getting backing due to some
tax loophole. Taxes may be more than the economic inefficiency.

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regularfry
You've _completely_ missed the point. This isn't intended for large-batch
"industrial scale" consumer good print runs. It's not intended for printing
while it's on the move.

The idea is to be able to take the custom production facility to the point of
specific need so that you can iterate quickly to solve the local problem.

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shimon_e
"the Kamermaker is designed to print huge objects including furniture,
architectural elements, and even entire rooms."

Guess this could be seen as a luxury on demand printer for those who have
money and don't want to wait.

Thanks for enlightening me.

