Yeah, I bought 3 copies of Robot Turtles. I still have two of them.
I can think of maybe three things I'd do with a 3d printer. A consumer-friendly laser cutter? DO WANT.
I'm trying to talk my cousins into going thirdsies on it with me. $2k for a laser cutter is not the sort of expense wifey is interested in taking on at the moment, ability to etch chocolate be damned. However, I could probably make her accept $666. Make her happy? Notsomuch. But accept...
The marginal utility on it is off the charts compared to an Ember.
By way of comparison, an Epilog Zing 16 is $8k. So this isn't a "zomg 3d printing" sort of thing, this is a "an existing market segment of extremely high utility just had its pricepoint kicked by 75% or more and its usability expanded by orders of magnitude" thing. Laser cutters have been around for 30-40 years, but they've only slowwwwwwwwwly come down in price. You mostly see them at trade shows; Epilog sells to instrument manufacturers at NAMM, for example. Almost nobody markets laser cutters to mommies with craft projects.
"Babe. We are uprooting ourselves and making major life changes for you and your career. I want you to know I'm here for you every step of the way, through thick and thin. You are my guiding light, my everything, and I am willing to do anything and everything you need. But I really, really deserve this laser thingy. Cause, reasons."
if I hadn't just dropped 1000 bucks getting my car imported, insured and registered, I'd be almost at that point. you could make a small business off of this easily.
Oh god. There's a story in this one.
SO
I went to University in Ohio, driving a 2005 Pontiac Vibe my parents had bought for the kids to use (I being the last of said children). Because all the important parts are Toyota, It was a great car. In fact, when I figured out that insuring this Canadian car in the US when I didn't officially own it was going to be a total clusterfuck, my parents sold their late model Honda Accord and now STILL drive the same Vibe which is still running like a top after well over 140 000 miles and 6 years of my hard abuse. I bought myself a 2004 Pontiac Vibe while in Ohio, because I liked it so much. Being a double bassist, hatch backs are BAE, and it sips gas, as well as taking a licking and keeping on with its ticking.
So last April rolls around, and I move back home with my folks, and I'm doing my best to navigate the importing of American cars into Canada. I do alright, get it across the border, and get set up to do all the inspections necessary to have it registered and insured here in Ontario.
This is where the trouble begins, because of This load of horse hockey. It turns out, the RIV (the people paid by the Canadian government to handle Canadian vehicle imports) won't let me get inspected until the recall is fixed.
At that time (May), there was no fix. So I'm in legislative limbo. I get an extension on the 30 days they allow you to get inspections etc. and start waiting. I get into contact with my local GM dealer, and get some other things taken care of (another smaller recall), as well as just touching base and letting them know that I'm gonna need their help with this recall.
So i keep on keeping on, keep using the car to get to work etc. it starts to develop a bit of a.. chug? i guess you could say, when braking. I figure i'll get it taken care of when I put my snows on in november. So far, only 200 bucks or so into the import.
6 months later, this september, the fix for the recall FINALLY shows. Because I've been buddying up with the GM guys, I have a part there the day that the recall fix is announced, and it's taken care of quick-quick. I go to Canadian Tire, which of course is the authorized place to get inspections done for the government because Canada, and get the inspection done.
And I don't pass.
It turns out, Slick Nick, the fucker who sold me this car, took off the airbag warning stickers on the sun visors because they "spoiled the look". I have to have at least one of those stickers (in english AND french, because Canada - love the french though I do). I go to the GM guys - I can't just buy the sticker. I have to buy a whole new sun visor, and it'll be 200 bucks with the tax, and they have to ship it from wisconsin so it'll be a couple of days.
So I wait, get the part, fork out the cash, install it myself because even someone as utensil-inept as I am can change three phillips head screws. Go back. pass RIV inspection, and can now get insured.
I get what is frankly a great deal on insurance, at around 600 a year. Yay good driving record and rural area. Pay it lump sum, no interest. I go to Service Ontario (kind of like DMV, Gov't service office all in one) to get the car registered. Turns out i need ANOTHER inspection to get it registered. of course, Canadian Tire will be glad to help again.
and I don't pass.
Chugging brakes are a no go, need 2 new rotors and a new pad. Parts, labour and the inspection come to 400 and a bit. that's taken all day, so I go home, go back to Service Ontario the next day.
And by the next day, I mean Today, because that's how long this horse hockey has taken.
Go in today. Get all the paperwork done, and get my new Ontario Plates. 150 bucks.
So we're all told here at 1550 dollars to Import and get this thing up to inspection standards. Glad I've been saving up, because otherwise i'd have been SOOOO fuuucked.
Friends never let friends import cars, kids.
I know, right?
But... cost sunk fallacy I guess? At a certain point I thought about driving it back over the border and selling for what I could, but i figured I'd lose my shirt.
Well, if you ever make it big in the world and want to start importing some fancy cars, you'll know a hit of the headache you'll go through. ;)
That said, you probably made the right choice. Those cars, like kleinbl00 said, are very reliable and since it's your family car, you already know its history.
- I can think of maybe three things I'd do with a 3d printer.
Strandbeesten. Theo Jansen singlehandedly justifies the consumer 3d printing industry. Also I imagine people into tabletop gaming are going to get a lot of use out of them when the price drops enough (mk?)
But yes, laser cutters are much more generally useful.
So now we have high grade consumer FDM printers for cheap, high grade consumer laser cutters for cheap (relatively) and high grade SLA printers for cheap. All we need now is SLS printers that aren't a million dollars, and polyjet that isn't half a million. Consumer prototyping and fabrication has never been more accessible, we just need a few more patents to expire to really kick things into high gear.
I'm hoping to save up for this, the Tiko, and maybe a Peachy if they come out with something a little better quality.
There were some interesting comments made on the Hacker News post about this.
- This looks like a decent laser but I thought I'd post a few thoughts about this package which might give a potential buyer pause.
First, the main unique feature I see is the built in camera which apparently gives you a preview of cut/engraved finished part on your computer screen with the material as it's positioned inside the machine. This also (apparently, it's not clear), allows you to correct for misaligned material inside the machine. These are nice features, but it's perfectly possible to cut and engrave without them.
One big problem with operating this inside your home is the fumes. Now, they do mention that the base unit needs to be vented to the outside. What this means is that your neighbors (and you, if the wind is right) will have to smell the exhaust from this machine. It's not a nice smell if you're cutting acrylic. Though I personally got used to the scent of vaporized acrylic over time, your neighbors might not be so inclined.
So they also offer a $500 add-on ($1000 regular price) to filter the air so you can exhaust inside. The add on is smaller than the already small laser cutter. This is quite a feat and I would really like to know how they got it to work. You see, the fumes/smoke from a laser cutter can really clog up a particulate filter pretty quickly. Wood produces wood smoke, and acrylic vapor is quite sticky when it settles. So you have to have a powerful pump to draw the fumes through the filter. Then you need a good amount of activated charcoal to get rid of the smelly stuff.
If you look at the professional model air filters, they're $2000+ and you have to buy filters and media regularly.
Laser cutters get messy inside, so if you buy one, be prepared to clean it out regularly to keep the optical and mechanical components clean.
Problems with operation can START A FIRE, so be prepared to watch the machine 100% of the time while it's cutting.
Thhhbbbpptptpt.
Any scale modeler worth his salt knows that burning anything produces fumes and shit oh well. Your neighbor probably enjoys his cohibas on his porch so he can fuck right off.
Filters? Your Hacker News guy is seriously arguing that you need fuckin' HEPA to clear out some burnt leather?
Messy inside: It's a fucking laser cutter. Compared to any other manufacturing process it's goddamn sterile.
They do that so you can use it in a room without venting. The guys at Epilog run theirs all day long in the middle of a trade show floor and I've never once seen them so much as wipe the thing out during the day.
It also doesn't smell.
That the site with the air filter recommended for the baby Epilog sells the filters recommended for the baby Epilog for $100 for a 6-pack should tell you something - there are economies to be made in this industry segment. Especially considering furnace filters are like $8 for a set of 4.
Thanks man! I'm waiting to hear back on wait time. I don't want to pony up $4000 and then wait until 2017 to get my cutter. Judging by customer responses on their faq, they seem to be unresponsive to requests. In fairness, they are probably getting a crapload of inquiries now, but worrisome that they have $8 million in preorders of their $100,000 goal. That's a lot of units to produce.