News - Cubify Cube 3D printer debuts at PC World and Currys today

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Consumer friendly designed 3D printer receives files via Wi-Fi.

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Read more.

This is good news in a way, but the technology that all of these commercially produced printers are based on are innovations originally released under a GNU open source license by the reprap project.

I so want a 3d printer. It nice to see them becoming so available. Just waiting for the price to get a bit more sensible before I take the plunge but judging how cheap paper printing has become over time hopefully I won't have to wait too long!

That's the first 3d printer I've seen that looks like it would belong in a home instead of in a workshop.

Pity they couldn't bring it in under the magic £1000, but they're getting cheaper all the time.

As I see it, this is a technology that has potential in the future, but for the average home user, there's not likely to be any common usage that justifies £1200 for the printer, and expensive "cartridges", to produce a single-colour object.

In a few years, with prices down substantially and a technology that's developed, hopefully, into 'blended' colours, THEN maybe I'd buy. But right now, too little on offer at FAR too high a price for me to see it as anything more than a clever and interesting gimmick. I'd love one to have a play with, but what would I actually use it for? Dunno. And that's the problem.

Want cheap?
http://dx.com/p/heacent-3dp01-diy-3d-printer-full-assembly-kit-black-silver-110-220v-220815

And I'd warrant the hardware is pretty much identical or even a higher grade than the hardware buried under all that grey plastic too.

One problem with that cubify printer I can see is that that cartridge is tiny, and wouldnt take standard reels, forcing you to buy small and overpriced filament on a propitiatory reel.

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Originally Posted by Saracen

In a few years, with prices down substantially and a technology that's developed, hopefully, into 'blended' colours, THEN maybe I'd buy. But right now, too little on offer at FAR too high a price for me to see it as anything more than a clever and interesting gimmick. I'd love one to have a play with, but what would I actually use it for? Dunno. And that's the problem.

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They should come in quite handy when making repairs around the house. At least with some kinds of repairs.

That's one reason why I want one.

Starting to get to the point where Games Workshop will be forced to stop ripping people off.

Homemade Lego

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Originally Posted by valhar2000

They should come in quite handy when making repairs around the house. At least with some kinds of repairs.

That's one reason why I want one.

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Oh, it's certainly possible. But, first, it needs to be something made of a material for which the printed replacement is adequate, I.e. strong enough, withstand sufficient heat, etc.

But also, without a 3D scanner, and perhaps even with one, you have to be able to create a file to print with sufficient accuracy, and where the printed output is to sufficiently small tolerances.

And, to justify the £1200 price tag, plus the costs of materials, is it really cost-effective to make your own parts? The answer, IMHO, is maybe, for some things .... but maybe not. And how often will that crop up? For me, probably not often, and certainly not often enough at anything like those prices.

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Originally Posted by shaithis

Starting to get to the point where Games Workshop will be forced to stop ripping people off.

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Good point. No doubt they, and lego, will join the growing list of those suing for copyright infringement, before long.

LEGO is pretty doomed IMO, it would take 5 mins for a range of open-source building blocks meshes to be created. Yeah, they won't work with LEGO but you could print what you wanted and would be completely legit, which would have the knock-on effect of a potentially massive community of submitters.