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This week we talk to Ben Peters, graduate student at MIT’s Media Lab, about 3-D printing.
Links
RepRap-the 3-D printer that makes some of the parts for itself
Thingiverse-free designs for MakerBot
The Weekly Weinersmith
A 3D-printer application area which Ben didn’t mention is food. There are already edible inkjet-printer inks in common use, which allow cake decorators, for example, to print customer-supplied photos onto the tops of cakes. The next version of this is 3D printers which can make custom shapes in chocolate.
And, of course, as with much new technology, I predict that the driver for mass-market sales of 3D printers will be porn.
Oh but he did! After the outro-song we usually have some bonus content, and in this bonus content Ben talks about 3-D food printing. 🙂
That’ll teach me to stop listening when the closing credits come on.
Oh. And for an interesting take on the future use of 3d printers to make replacement parts for appliances, and the possible inherent hazards, see Charles Stross’s latest novel, Rule 34.
Thanks!
You totally could have given a shoutout to BG! The art department was actually one of the first places in the US to do ceramic 3D printing in 2005.
Aw, man! Can’t believe I missed an opportunity like that! I suck!
It’s cool, i still go there and i didn’t even know it existed until a few months ago. It’s really low tech compared to anything that was mentioned in the podcast. It basically layers a fine sand and glue together to make art, but they’re trying to modify it to resist high tempteratures for glass moulds. It’s supposedly going to be revolutionary for glass moulds because it’s porous, and doesn’t trap air or moisture in the mould.
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