Making an Airstream Part on the Road with a 3D Printer?

[Fly at Night]

Recently attended a 3D printer demonstration. I can't even begin to explain the technology, but the price of such a unit is not as exorbitant as I thought (2-5k.) Some of the computer geeks there had even built their own for a few hundred dollars!

One of the demonstrators takes his 3D printer onboard his sailboat and has used it to duplicate/replace a broken part while at sea! I immediately thought of a similar advantage while on the road.

Future shock?
Nope.
The reality is already here.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Jay Leno's Garage has one and they make all kinds of parts for cars that are no longer available. [it makes plastic parts that can be used for mold making or patterns for metal machining]

[cwf]

Yup.. Real "Buck Rogers" stuff now!!!

[wahoonc]

There is a consortium in the EU that is pushing the envelope to build aircraft parts using the technology. But their printers are a tad more expensive... roughly $1 million each. But as it progresses I am sure the price will come down. The future is upon us...

Aaron

[AirHeadsRus]

I saw this in April and bookmarked it. It appears it also prints stainless steel?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ts-103172.html

[Fly at Night]

To see a world in a grain of sand...

William Blake's augury is indeed unfoldiing....

Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project - YouTube