Submitted by kellydayscruff t3_z7lcmg in explainlikeimfive
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Submitted by kellydayscruff t3_z7lcmg in explainlikeimfive
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The plastic parts but it would take a metal 3d printer for the metal parts and you would still need to buy or build the circuits and wires
Definitely-ish, but mostly a few different printers (minus the motors, maybe the nozel, and control computer) ... Look up the rep-rap printer https://reprap.org/wiki/Build_A_RepRap designed to be able to print as many of its own parts as possible... Obviously at minimum the nozel needs to be metal, and the control board would need A specialized printer if you wanted to print that too... The motors and microchips will still probably need other manufacturing techniques to produce for the foreseeable future
That's a goal of some projects, for sure. Already, there are cheapish 3D printers that can print over 90% of their components: often, you need to buy off-the-shelf electronic components to complete it.
> And wouldn’t that destroy the 3D printer industry
Already there are printers on the market where you have a choice of buying a kit and assembling it yourself, or paying more to get it already assembled - or paying less and just getting the electronics (plus a download link for the rest of the parts). Some people are happy enough to assemble their own 3D printer, but if you're just starting our with either 3D printing or electronics, that's a pretty ambitious project. 3D printers can be finicky enough even when assembled by someone who knows what they're doing, let alone by a n00b watching a YouTube video.
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For most part you could sure, in fact a lot of 3D Prints come with printed parts. But for things like the hot end, motors, logic boards, power supply, screens, gears, belts, etc. Not really. At least not right now.
There is flexible filament you could use for belts, and some printers can print metal or metal infused plastic filament. But you would need such a level of precision that it just wouldn't make sense. Other firms of manufacturing is way cheaper, easier, and faster.
For the step motors, monitors, psu, and circuit boards. idt it'll ever be possible to print those. At least not in full, there a lot of tiny components, not to mention processors that are on the nanometer scale ( 0.000001mm ).
TLDR; You can/could print a lot of parts of a 3DP on a 3DP but I don't think you could ever print a whole 3DP. There's just to many parts that need to be very precise and aren't possible to print.
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Hypothetically you could make a machine that can self-replicate, but it would be on the level of complexity of many different fully automated factories, 3d printers would be one small part of such a machine.
Some things are just much easier to do with machining and grinding, like making linear rails to the required precision and surface finish.
Some things require completely different manufacturing processes, such as the electronics components.
There's also the issue of creating all the different materials required as input. You'd basically be automating a whole economy.
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Consumer 3D printers print shitty plastics. If you ever want a strong plastic, or god forbid a metal piece, or GASP silicon, you're out of luck.
No you can't print a 3D printer. And never will be able to. All they can print is 100% shitty plastic. 50s tech basically. As soon as you encounter metal or worse you need a silicon chip, that's it. You go outside.
TheJeeronian t1_iy75fsv wrote
Sure. None that currently exist, but sure.
It'd have to be an insanely high-end printer, probably using crazy-expensive feedstock, but yeah sure. It'd hardly destroy any industry, though.
3dp is usually one of the worst ways to make something. It is super convenient for making one or two, but for any product it is garbage. Anything a modern 3d printer can make in four hours with a lot of care and tweaking, an injection moulding machine can make in four seconds and repeat ten thousand times before it needs maintenance.