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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   8755 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of May 12, 2025

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I distinctly remember 3D printing hype claims about how we'll all have 3D printers at home and print parts to repair stuff around the house (e.g. appliances). I'm sure some people do this, but 99.9% of people do not.

I think that anyone who wants to can have a 3D printer at home. Inasmuch as "we'll all have 3D printers at home" has failed, it has failed due to lack of interest, not lack of technological development.

It's a tech bubble from a market size perspective, not a technology perspective.

IMO there are two serious barriers to widespread 3d printer adoption:

  1. Most people don’t need to make small custom objects regularly
  2. 3D printers produce striated plastic objects in primary colours and people don’t want those in their homes.

The latter could be considered a technological problem. Wood mills are much nicer but too loud and too messy, but there might be paths forward.

I don't use it at home. I use it at my job and it is a viable replacement for expensive and slow to order cnc'd fixtures. Real quick draw a fixture around a part and print it. We have rows of 3D printers for the design engineers and put them to good use.

And may I present: https://old.reddit.com/r/fosscad/top/?sort=top&t=all

From my point of view we are living in the future.

I'm sure some people do this, but 99.9% of people do not.

99.9% of people don't use injection molding machines or arc furnaces or aluminum recyclers or CNC machines or welding robots or etc., doesn't stop those things from having an impact on your life.

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