Posted on 12/21/2014 1:25:28 PM PST by shove_it
His “master” would replace any absence of soul with something more to his liking...
The cost of lifting the spare parts is essentially identical to the cost of lifting the raw materials to make those parts.
What this does is possibly allow for a smaller number of spare parts to be sent up, using the raw materials to make those parts that turn out to be needed.
What if the 3D printer needs a part?
Most of the time. In this case I'm guessing it was more of a hard to reach or awkward location than a high torque application.
But no one said the technology is complete or fully evolved. The point of this story is the concept. Consider that they sent him a plastic wrench via email, and then think of the typical tractor-feed, dot-matrix printer of 25 years ago compared to the quality/size/price today's full color laser jets.
.5 /s
Thanks - I was replying to a picture of a transporter bay, no?
LOL. A good point, of course.
This tech is only going to get better. It probably won’t be long before we’re assembling things on the molecular or even atomic level.
Yes, now I do understand that you were replying to a picture of a transporter. Which I suppose is a perfect example of what can go wrong when communication takes place “virtually”. The problem in this case was on the receiving end (me). Still, I don’t think that “scanning” is the appropriate analogy for the transporter. My layman understanding of the transporter is that it rearranges one into some sort of energy (maybe plasma) and then reconstructs you on the other end. Theoretically there is nothing created nor destroyed in the process. Granted, it is not settled science fiction. Even well into the 30th millennium there were people who would not allow themselves to be transported. Call it “fear of flying”. Ironically, it would seem that those personages who did not have a strong confidence in the science of it were the very ones who had unfortunate transporter experiences. They may be the ones who knew of the very risky early experiment wherein a man and a fly had a most horrifying accident.
not settled science fiction
Funny to be discussing how a fictional process works, no?
I generally find that fiction is less strange than truth.
Sci-fi has already used the concept (a LONG time back). Story line is that aliens contacted earth (a single individual) to let them build and have him man a "way station". In use, no physical objects were transmitted....just the individuals "consciousness" and the blueprint for his/her/its body. On transmission, the "empty" body was dissolved and flushed. At the receiving end, a new body was "built" and the received consciousness imprinted into it. The "goody" for the earth guy was great extension of his life.
I want to say that this is a Simak story....but it has been many, many, many years since I read it.
MrB, the way I do it is to design the part and the gap between the outer and the “inside” part — and then put in “support.” Supports are like buttresses that are thinly layered (and often look like small twigs on the trunk — that is the part you wish to keep). After printing completes, you break off or file away the thin, easily removable supports. There are several youtube videos about 3d printing support. Meshmixer is a free program where one can detect unsupported overhangs and gaps and support them with thin filament support. “Meshmixer” and “3d support” are youtube search terms that will get you a video of the process.
Cool!
Hmm. Could he design his own stuff on that printer?
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