Three Cool Rapd Prototyping Examples
Posted: June 18th, 2008 | Author: Steve | Filed under: Technology | Tags: 3D printing, DIY, Energy, RapidPrototyping, Solar | View Comments
This week we’ve got some very interesting goodies from the rapid prototyping community.
I’m very excited by this first one, which combines a downloadable design with biomimicry and rapid prototyping to make a very cool-looking table:
Fractal Table Can Only Be Made By Rapid Prototyping : TreeHugger
This table is a perfect example of how to use examples of nature to make something which is both simple and complex at the same time, and inherently beautiful. While it may seem complex at first, it uses a fractal-based design to implement its complexity. Fractals are basically simple pattern which are repeated on increasingly smaller scales. Most natural and biological structures are based on fractal designs. They are also used to build the landscapes in video games without a lot of overhead.
There is something about the design, being so much like nature, that is inherently pleasing and soothing, while still retaining the order and utility of a manufactured product. Combine this with some earth-friendly source material, and you have the basic model for very sustainable distributed manufacturing.
Next, we’ve got something on the other end of the spectrum: a truly man-made design. This small solar collector design has components which can be printed out via a 3D printer. This came via the RepRap blog, so I think the intention was to be able to print these via RepRap’s low-cost printers. I believe that only the plastic support parts are currently able to be manufactured via a 3D printer, but it is easy to see where this is heading, and the implications. (besides, we are not that far away from 3D printers being able to print their own circuitry and metals)
Imagine, for a second, that a working model of this could be printed by anyone, including poor 3rd-world peoples, for only the cost of the raw materials, plastic, metal and glass. That could mean cheap, clean energy for everyone.
This last one is just for fun, but it shows how for advanced 3D-prototyping has come. This model of Disney’s Cinderella Castle was printed with a very expensive high-end rapid prototyping machine:
http://thepiratesdilemma.com/punk-capitalism/3-d-printed-magic-kingdom
I hope you enjoyed these!
-Steve
