I have mentioned Santa Claus machines before. In essence, they are similar to the replicators in Star Trek, that assemble just about anything with anything. However, as of this writing you can only find their cousins (also known as “printers“) at research universities or in development labs at large companies.
Yesterday, NewScientist reported that Lockheed Martin has unveiled a new UAV that was made from “printed” parts.
As more resources, both financial and human mind-share, are pumped into this field, it is hoped that rapid prototyping machines may become a mainstay in the garage. In fact, The RepRap Project is an open-source grass-roots endeavor to do just that… and then some.
Addendum: here is a video clip of the RepRap in action.
[...] I have mentioned rapid prototyping before. And it is showcased throughout various shows on the Discovery Channel and History Channel (the reconstruction of an ancient hominid skull was produced in one of these machines). It’ll be nice if you could put one of these manufacturing plants in your garage: “Computer, synthesize a Rolex, stat.” « Two down, one more to go [...]
Pingback by Transforming the manufacturing process » Doctor Recommended — August 25, 2006 @ 7:36 pm