Originally Posted by
Zumba
Those rapid prototypers in Walter's video link seem to be getting popular. Some people call them "fabbers" and there's group of people at Cornell trying to encourage people to build their own using the group's free design available on the web.
Unfortunately, I don't really see it getting as big as they think. It's great for industrial design. By using multiple colored fluids (kind of like a tool change), you can even avoid having to paint your prototype. But functionally, I don't see that many applications for it. Currently, the only people buying these machines are industrial artists/designers... people making prototypes for household items, toys, electronic casings, and maybe even cars. But they're just models... purely aesthetic, with zero functionality. In the future, let's say the price actually goes down to the $3K (I'd be dubious about the quality). Who will buy them? Probably budding industrial designers.
A 3D printer in every home? Probably not. Paper printers are a necessity in daily life and even then, most people these days only spend $100-200 on a printer. You can get a decent laser printer for $80 from Samsung. There are some awesome $2500 printers out there... color laser, 11x17, that rival the quality of pro printing houses. But not many people buy them... mostly pros who need a way to quickly print out some sample booklets in small quantity.
I think milling, turning, sawing, and grinding will be around for a LONG time. I think in the very distant future, when humans can accurately manipulate materials at the molecular level, a "fabbing" machine for metallic materials may be possible. But based on the current rate of progress, it'll probably happen after World War 3.
The only major change I really see happening in the next 10-20 years is in the affordability of CNC machines, thanks to rising popularity and the use of EPOXY COMPOSITES! The technology is brewing right here on CNCzone...