[Blindmath] anyone heard of 3-D printing?

[John Gardner]

Hi, 3d printers are certainly getting more affordable, but if you want one
that is usable, you have to pay more than $400.  The standard in low cost 3d
printers seems to be MakerBot, and their least expensive 3d printer with
enough software to make it usable is around $2800.   See:
https://www.makerbot.com/

John

-----Original Message-----
From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of qubit
Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2014 4:07 AM
To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Blindmath] anyone heard of 3-D printing?

This one caught me by surprise the other day on a talk show.
I listened, then googled "3-D printer" and got some fascinating hits. 
Apparently there are printers available that produce high resolution 3-D
plastic objects from digital input models.
It is also called additive manufacturing or plastic holography.
But that's not all, the price of one of these units is as low as $499.
Try googling -- it is an interestiing read.
I couldn't help but think of possible uses by blind persons.
On the tv interview they demo'd the unit and described how this technology
has been used and misused.  For example, some people have used it to create
plastic handguns, which are illegal as they look so much like the real
thing.
He also demo'd creating a plastic apple.
There is a lot more on the internet.

Anyway, am I behind the times, or has anyone else heard of 3-D printers?
I want one :)
--le



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