SpaceBanter.com - View Single Post - Towards the *fully* 3D-printed electric cars.

**David Mitchell[_3_]**

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On Mon, 17 Jul 2017 06:02:37 +0100, David Mitchell
wrote:

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On Sun, 16 Jul 2017 06:40:16 +0100, David Mitchell
wrote:

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On Sat, 15 Jul 2017 06:36:41 +0100, David Mitchell
wrote:

wrote:
In sci.physics David Mitchell wrote:
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In sci.physics David Mitchell wrote:
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In sci.physics David Mitchell wrote:
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In sci.physics David Mitchell wrote:
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OK, what "stuff" would people be making at home?

Jewellry, utilities, tools, gadgets.

Could you be any more vague?

Yes. Yes I could.

Things. People will make things. All of the things.

Great, yet another techno nerd weenie who spends way too much time watching
Star Trek reruns.

Bless. It's almost as though you imagine anyone give even the tinest of ****s
what you think.

It's almost as though you imagine I think puerile techno nerds represent
the average person.

I think you need to find a better insult - "techno nerd" is a bit tautologous -
and I've never made any particular claim to represent anyone.

How about pie-in-the-sky dreamer?

Like I've said before, most people can't be bothered to make things as
trivial as bread and biscuits.

Well, lots of people *do* make bread and biscuits; and a series about baking was
one of the most popular UK programs for some time.

Watching is not making.

True; but search for "The Great British Off effect".

"In the six years it has been on the air, “The Great British Bake Off” has
fundamentally changed the way the British regard baking, dessert-eating and even
their own culture of sweets. The “Bake Off Effect,” as it is known, has
manifested in a resurgence in home baking, a noticeable increase in the quality
of baked goods sold all over the country, and a growing number of people
pursuing careers as professional pastry chefs."

"The Mary Berry effect: How the Great British Bake Off revived the Women's Institute

WI membership reached 211,000 last year, its highest level since the 1970s
22,600 new members joined last year and 144 institutes were created
Organisation's chairman said Great British Bakeoff 'inspired' more women to
take up home baking"

"A recent survey from Waitrose revealed that baking is more popular than ever,
with 19 per cent of people saying they now bake at least once a week and nearly
half admitted to baking more than they did five years ago."

Irrelevant. My wife watches a lot (way too much ;-) of cooking shows
and also does a lot of baking but not once has she ever made anything
that was on the TeeVee. She does make biscuits, on special occasions,
but not bread.

Ah yes, your one anecdote easily trumps my three data points.
Seriously? That's your counter? One person?
Wait! I know two people who bake! I win!

No, stupid. The existence of cooking shows doesn't mean everyone is
cooking. There are a couple of networks dedicated to buying homes but
more people aren't buying houses every week.

Bread machines were once popular but are a total bust, these days.

I didn't say "everyone was baking".
I said "19 per cent of people saying they now bake at least once a week and
nearly half admitted to baking more than they did five years ago."

As I keep, apparently, having to explain - I am talking about *mature*
fabrication technology - something capable of working with multiple materials,
and able to fabricate something at the push of a button more quickly than
driving to buy it, and more cheaply.

Not going to happen.

It would be good if you could back that up, rather than simply asserting it.

There is no need. There is no efficiency of scale. It's too much
work to design things and get them ready (and then the retries). Few
will put up with the bull****. No, I don't think people will download
designs for plastic jewelry and make it. Well, maybe a few 6
year-olds.

As I keep, apparently, having to explain - I am talking about *mature*
fabrication technology - something capable of working with multiple materials.

It really would be nice if you could read. Mature doesn't matted if
there is no need.
Let me try to put in easier terms for you: when nearly any form of technology
first appears it is often expensive and limited, so only the "early adopters"
pick it up. That market is sometimes enough to drive the development of better,
cheaper devices; and as a consequence, more people buy them.
This cycle continues.

You know this to be true, right?

So the only question is whether fabricators are in this class of technology.
I would submit that since they've already shown vast improvment in their
capabilities, a reduction in price and non-linear take-up, that they clearly are.

So, not just "plastic jewelry", as you must surely be able to appreciate.

So you're going to sell personal gold printers? Nice! I wish you
well in that endeavor.

A fabricator capable of printing most kinds of metal isn't beyond the pale.

No, it's not. Most have cars, these days too. They're mature, sure,
but there they also fulfill a need.

As the non-linear growth shows, there appears to be a need for even these
relatively crude devices.