Elaine Hunt wrote:
>
> Why are you up in front of audiences talking about the great things you
> are doing? Why is it people cry how great things are but when you look
> around you can't find people who are willing to take the risk, get up and
> say what's happening. All I hear are the doom sayers and maybe that
SHameless plug. I'll be at Auto Fact on May 21 at 1:30 talking about
what great things I see in the industry!!
> I know where I want the industry to go..... to that push button machine
> that sits in every student lab for every student that needs to be able to
> print a 3d model.
>
> No Brad......schools can't afford the 60k price tag of an Actua or Z-Corp
> machine because we need multiple machines to support a large number of
> students. I'll give you two years to get that price down to under 20k or
> until Ennex, Autofab, Epson, or someone else gets an affordable 3d printer
> in the market.
I'll jump in here. Yes indeed, 20K is affordable for a much broader
market. I'd do what I needed to get a machine at that price. The model
needs to be robust though. I need to be able to mold from it, and finish
it, pack it and send it around the world. At 20K for such a machine, I'd
go on the road demonstrating it to all kinds of alternate markets and
venues. Do I need to make a specatacle of myself to get you people to
realize that art is a major market? That art science and engineering
will get closer and closer together? That rp companies will receive
great benefit from the problems that non experts will bring to the
equation (re: technologically challenged).
And you know what? A copier at Kinkos can cost as much as 500K. Whats
the difference? You can't install a copier that prints photo resin,
heats the bed, has tremendous learning curve etc., makes models that
won't travel down the hall. ANd you can't expect someone at kinko's to
do anything but PUSH A BUTTON.
And then link up with the folks who are developing the modeling package
for nintendo. 12 year olds can print their models at kinkos. How do you
educate them? IT comes in the high color glossy cool looking book that
comes with the NINTENDO. IF rapid prototyping captured the imagination
of a 12 year old that 12 year old will use rapid prototyping or 3d
printing or whatever the rest of their life.
Don't you think 12 year olds would love to make their own toys?
I agree with Ian Gibson, we're witnessing a maturation of the
technology.
Keep your eyes to the horizon. Its only just beginning.
best,
-- michael rees SCULPTOR http://www.sound.net/~zedand00/ 1212 w 8th St. Bldg B #2, 816 753 3020 voice zedand00@sound.net KC, Mo 64101 816 753 1542 faxFor more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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