Posted on 07/06/2014 10:32:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
The number one issue that people have with 3D printers today, is the speed at which they print at. People now-a-days want things quickly, at the touch of a button. Over the years, many of our everyday jobs, chores, and desires have reached a point of almost becoming instant. For example, when you want to print a document from your computer or tablet, its done in approximately 5-10 seconds. When you want to bring up a website on your smartphone, it’s up in a matter of 1-2 seconds. Just about every aspect of our lives, when compared to that of the technology we used a few decades ago, has moved into a new realm where everything seems to be running in “fast forward”. 3D printing, however, when it comes to speed, is still chipping at the ice in the Ice Age.
This can be expected. 3D printing is a relatively new technology, especially when you focus solely on consumer level, at-home 3D printers. It can take a full day to print objects the size of a basketball. It can take several hours to print something as small as a Rubik’s Cube. Speeds have improved slightly in the few years since consumer level 3D printers have been made available to the general public. However, we’ve hardly seen any noticeable improvements. One little boy and his company CarrotCorp, plans on changing this.
Thomas Suarez, a 15-year-old little boy, made headlines several years ago when he created a Justin Bieber whack-a-mole game called Bustin Jieber. Since then he has given a TED talk on technology, was featured on BBC, and had the chance to meet a lot of important and famous people.
Now Suarez has a relatively new interest, and that interest is 3D printing. He had the chance to meet Bre Pettis back in 2012, and tour the MakerBot ‘Botfarm’.
“I told my dad [about 3D printing], and he said, ‘oh that’s not real!’,” explained Suarez back in 2012. “He didn’t believe it.”
Soon after, Suarez decided to prove to his dad that 3D printing was very real, by setting up a tour of the MakerBot botfarm. Nevertheless, his father became a believer, and Thomas himself became even more enamored by the technology; so much so that he decided to set out to push the technology even further.
“Recently I applied for a patent on 3D printing,” Suarez told BBC in an interview. “I’m trying to make 3D printing faster and more reliable. The key there is speed, and we’re trying to [get] ten times faster than current generation 3D printers.”
Thomas is completely self taught when it comes to his technology insight, and his revolutionary new ideas. It should be interesting to see more details on what this patented super 3D printer includes. If Thomas can legitimately create a 3D printer capable of speeds that are ten times faster than today’s current technology, you may just be reading about a future billionaire. Just yesterday, CarrotCorp announced that they are working on creating a 3D printer that is “the most advanced, the most reliable, and the fastest 3D printer ever created”.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
We have recently covered a story on 3D Systems, a company which has created a super speedy industrial level 3D printing system for the creation of smartphone modules, as part of Google’s Project Ara. However, we have yet to see these 3D printers in action, and they will surely cost in excess of $1,000,000 each. Thomas’ patent is for a consumer level 3D printer technology, which could make the process of 3D printing ever so close to being the speeds we all truly desire.
Discuss Thomas Suarez’s potential technology in the CarrotCorp 3D Printer forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out the video interview that Thomas had with BBC below:
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
But who says he wants to?
Gosh, I hope he gets started printing that liver I’m gonna’ be needing pronto.
“Could be....” “....has the potential to......” “promises to......”
I see a lot of words like those, but I don’t see and “does” or “is”. I see a “patent applied for” and a history of two games in his pocket, but not much else.
I wish him luck but “boy genius” is too often a catchall for intense interest and imagination. There are some real problems with materials, delivery, control, resolution, etc. that have to be worked out.
Something tells me the author doesn't understand that it's not just 'size'. In this case, both nearly the same 'size'. Complexity and rate and frequency of change.
Well, yes, the “printer”. But that word, printer, contains a lot of subcomponents. Nozzles, deposition resolution, materials and fineness, cure rates, rates of delivery and variance, a whole lot of things.
The robotics - mechanics are there for speed, and I’d say interface technology would be there readily, too. Inkjet and laser printers are pretty fast. But they are working with small, pliable easier delivery materials.
Yes, I think that dynamic range (resolution, span of deposited sizes, rate of delivery, etc.) would be key - in effect a fat printhead that can get as small as the point of a needle but also deliver like a 6" (or larger) paintbrush when required.....something like the three color printers with a larger control area...
Come on!
Can you imagine if his parents and teachers put him on Ritalin or other drugs to make him easier to manage?
http://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=229166
Some day her prints will come…
...unless you're a liberal!
>. How many apps have you made? When you were 15 ya gave a TED talk and were thinking about 3-D printing. ......envy isn’t a virtue.
When I was 15, we had Apple IIes. All I’m saying is that this kid made an app that features a bouncing Justin Beiber head that you tap. Call him a genius, then.
You misread my comment. The only way he will get laid is if he makes a billion.
He has a skill set that makes something happen on an electronic device. He appears to have a vision of what 3-D printing should be. Look at the movie on Jobs. That's how innovation and progress is made in all types of societal endeavors.. money, engineering, medicine, aerospace, electronics, creative arts... takes someone with a vision, skill set and hard head that just grinds and grinds. This kid made an app. It shows that he can "want to" and then makes it happen.
Lots of people "want to do" something but don't have the know how, attention span, attention to detail and drive to create something from nothing.
Genius? eh.. over rated. Creating and follow through... seems to be on track . Then there's the "vision" thing. When I was 15 I had a vision of guitars, beer,biochemistry, long legged girls with blonde hair that were flexible and of loose morals.
I have a feeling that this kid just might change the use of 3-D printing for personal use. ...just maybe.
I don’t know the kid and neither do you, I assume, but given what I’ve seen lately, he’s probably already experienced that. Kids start real young these days, especially famous or semi-famous ones. It ain’t 1975 (the year I was 15) any more.
How right you are! I want to do things but I got old and lazy. I don't know what the boy's ideas are, but here's something I dream of. A method whereby a mist of vaporized material is sprayed within a 3D enclosure, and intersecting lasers harden the spray. A 3D object can be rapidly built up with this method, used in conjunction with other already established methods. Go ahead and patent my idea, as I'm too lazy but happy in my retirement. I don't like the speed of my 3D printer but I garden while waiting for it to print.
There is already a process where lasers intersect in a powdered medium, forming the object. Your idea would need the spray tip and the laser output point of at least one laser to be very close together, with the second and perhaps third laser pulsing to a/the focal point.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.