Life-Changing Implications of 3D Printing

3D printing has gotten more attention in the press. Many people are discussing the implications of the ability to manufacture your own products at home. Right now I don't really see the masses taking to it.

First of all, it can only construct things out of one material (plastic, sandstone, metal). It can't build something as complex as an iPod. However, perhaps one day it could do this. Just think, if virtually all physible objects could become as plentiful and easily exchanged as mp3 files what that would mean for the world. It would be the most impactful invention ever created on Earth. I can think of a couple ways it would radically change the world

People would no longer have to work at jobs. Think about the millions of people who work at low-paying jobs that only do so because they have to make money to survive. If you could have virtually all of your physical needs met at the press of a button, people would be liberated from #ty jobs, even well-paying jobs that aren't really fulfilling. People could do what they want. Think of the explosion of creativity that would take place. Many would choose to become artists, musicians, athletes, whatever they are passionate about.

ATS always talks about TPTB. Imagine if they didn't have poverty to wield as a weapon? I can't even fathom what this would mean. Maybe you can tell me.

I imagine from the outset many people who have never come close to knowig what it feels like having all your material needs and desires met would go on a spree gobblig up everything they ever dreamed they could have. What happens when they feel that this doesn't bring lasting happiness? Do they begin pursuing more spiritual lives? Do they work to improve themselves mentally and emotionally?

These are just a couple of the implications I could think of, but definitely not everything that would follow a 3D printing revolution.

Corporations will charge you for the amount of each material you use to print in your home.

That's how they'll make their bank and break yours.

reply to post by Starchild23


Which would most likely be an 'arm and a leg' so to speak.

This machine with years of upgrading, i'd say its possible to 'Print' more complicated objects.
But thats just my opinion

3d printers aren't replicators.

They print out objects from plastic,metal, or whatever. Its not like you can ask one for a cherry pie with whipped cream.

reply to post by timi0000


3D printing is very powerful.



This magazine here for an ar 15 is made from plastic. But it's useable.
blog.makezine.com...

One day you'll be able to make a plastic gun and just put in the bullets and shoot.
Granted it may only shoot a few rounds but it's possible to make.

I think that in the future we will see 3d printers with special ceramic materials that you fire in a kiln to make them as strong as steel.

Everyone will have one. And industries will have large ones to make everything.

3D printing is really just the early stages of a star trek replicator technology. IMO

right now the tech is just printing off items in plastic, if i understand it correctly. Also I've heard it can print metals. I also think I read somewhere that it can print on a nanotech scale. Combine this tech with the new sub atomic printing of carbon, which was posted on this site as well somewhere. Sorry, I'm not gonna dig right now for it. And you have a nano printer. So this is gonna get "real" very fast with combined techs.

We are gonna have star trek style replicators eventually. I for one am looking forward to it. Also the carbon printing makes everything almost indestructible. and carbon is available everywhere. So how can TPTB charge you for material that is the most abundant substance on earth?

With carbon printing, you go outside with your shovel. shovel dirt into your machine. your machine converts said dirt into carbon. you make stuff from carbon. so it looks like it'll be a free society. and if someone makes a cool looking painting, you will scan it and then go home and replicate it.

This tech is probably the most important invention ever in the history of earth. We as humans will be forced to look to spirituality and the future.

just my opinion on the whole subject. I love it!

This is something that I have followed for sometime.
I work in this particular field.
Think about it, a world where you can make anything right?
Once you have a machine that can make anything, even replicate itself this renders all copyright and patents for everything ever null and void. I'm sure that you could copy and ipod for your own personal use and not be in any breach of law, it would only be a problem if you went about selling them (I may be wrong on that!!)
Also to have this kind of tech in the home it would need to be worth while in that it could make anything, so in theory only one of these machines would ever need to be built, it could then produce all the components necessary to clone itself, and on, and on, and on.
I personally believe we will never see this kind of thing in the home, how can you control people who don't need to work to earn money to buy stuff when they can just make anything they want!!
It will however become huge in the fields of medicine and dentistry, it is already being adopted in these fields on a small scale right now.
I feel that this will be as close to 'the good stuff' as us mere mortals will get.

reply to post by timi0000


I am very excited about this technology!

Printing trinkets isn't going to pay your mortgage. This will hardly liberate us from the rat race. It could dramatically change the commercial playing field, but I don't this is something TBTP are afraid of, at least not on the same scale as a cure for cancer or free power.

Electronic are far off, I believe. But not simple machines. You know what is a basic machine...a gun. Ponder the implications of that!

Just keep your eyes on which companies latch on and start making the "paste". There is going to be an enormous emerging market soon, and watchful investors might be able to make a lot of money.

That post a few weeks back, speculating that the real reason for SOPA/PIPA was 3d printing patterns for free on torrent sites... This thread

One video posted in there has stuck in my head and just really interesting to watch and think about the future with this kind of technology



Imagine a "Mr Fusion" type machine which can digitally digest materials(trash etc) back into its basic elements, and store them digitally to use later to print with... Amazing

They are already printing living organs, just think what 20 years will bring

reply to post by Anishnaabe



AU$800 per Kg.

There are different grades, that each have different properties.

The resolution is limited though. If you try and print cogs/gears, they have to be finished by hand to remove imperfections.

I think that the food industry should be jumping on this kind of technology.

Meals could custom printed in restaurants.

Complex shapes made of chocolate.

*Drool

i wanna get one of the things and have it build me a time machine... genius!!

The real breakthrough will be when the printers can operate at nano scale using graphene as the material. Super light nuts and bolts for aircraft for instance.

Next step after that construct organisms from carbon atoms. You can currently buy a robot "wife" in 50 years I reckon you can download one lol

reply to post by timi0000


Yes, there are some really impressive 3D printers nowadays.
Like this one..

reply to post by timi0000


how would you pay the bills?
imagine all the retarded plastic crap would be floating around!
i need a new /different bling phone case for my smart phone!
my tv is 3 months old,i better print out a new one!
etc......
this is what would really happen.
be more spiritual?!
most people in north america are spiritually vapid!
i would print out a whole new world where love,not material items,would rule the planet.

It wouldn't be free to print--you would still need the printing material! Think about how expensive ink jet refills are--now imagine that you are having to "refill" whatever medium your printer put out...

Still cool, though.

God I cant wait for the future to get here fast enough. We needed this 10 years ago. Hopefully when the pigs of free market die from over consumption we will eventually pick up the pieces and have a free and interdependent society.

There will always be people who need to work in order to have a future anywhere near to what you explained.

Firstly, there will need to be people needed to create the codes for the printers.
There will need to be people to manufacture the printers.
There will be people needed to develop further, more advanced printers.
There will be people needed to research medical and other areas, history and so on.
There will be doctors and nurses needed.
There will be firefighters needed.
There will be some form of tech support needed.
There will be people working to generate electricity/form of power for these printers, computer, fridges and other things we need in every day life.

People will always need to work, if we ever lived in a society where no one needed to work at all, it would be unbelievably boring, also, would your really feel conferable with every little aspect of life being run by machines? Just look at all the sci-fi novels/films out there, they can raise some interesting scenario's for this kind of scenario.

ok, so I looked up what I was talking about before. It's called GRAPHINE!!! very important to 3d technology.

here is the link to that thread. graphine thread on ATS
If you havn't checked out that thread and all it's links, you need to do it! probably the most important discovery to our world, then add that stuff to this 3d technology and you have.......unimaginable future of our planet.

This is where our world is heading. It's so amazing because all it takes is one guy buying a machine to do this. one machine makes another, then another, then you all of a sudden have everyone with the ability to do this. This is why we need to support this tech fully.



This vid shows some of the future of 3d printing. Limited thinking in my opinion.

What would you do with this tech if the materials where free?

Head over to Africa and make the tools for them to grow food and pumps for water?
thus ending starvation!

Head out to north korea and print them some books and computers?
thus sending them into a new world!

****How about sending Africa a printer with a hundred thousand designs that they can make their own stuff, or N korea.****

This tech could end all wars because everyone everywhere could make anything that they "NEED" even the USA. I wonder if we would need oil anymore? Things to think about.

It wouldn't be long before the anti-gun crowd would be accusing people of printing guns and try to get 3D printers outlawed.

reply to post by Trolloks


you are correct in some of what you say. Your not thinking outside of the box though. IMO with the implication of using Graphine alot of jobs are lost. but more are created.

"people to manufacture the printers." initially yes. but once we have one we can make our own for everyone.
"develop further, more advanced printers." yes but when one can make everything you just need bigger ones which could be adjusted in scale of the program to create more, and bigger with one unit.
"research medical and other areas, history and so on." You are correct. we will always need this. people would do this for knowledge not money as money buys what a printer can make for free.
"doctors and nurses needed." yes but what do you pay them with when you can make money from a machine?
"firefighters needed." only until we build homes made from graphine which is un-burnable and indestructible.....so alot of cats will become saved i guess.
"some form of tech support needed." people already share this info for free. Google comes to mind.
"people working to generate electricity/form of power for these printers, computer, fridges and other things we need in every day life." yes, but what happens when we print off our own solar power cells and batteries for free. I would do this first. unlimited power from the sun all made with a printer. same goes for fridges, computers, and everything else.

We will all have to change what we do, and for what reasons. Even garbage men would not be needed as all waists will be put back into the machine. My house would be self made piece at a time. People would probably end up working for them selves more than anything.