possibly the coolest thing i've ever seen (1 Viewer)

Absolutely mind blowing! You used to have different machines for reproducing different items, but now you'll be able to reproducing all kinds of items using the same machine. Amazing!
 
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Incredible, especially that it makes tools with precise moving parts, strong enough to use as tools. Definitely something you'd want in space, along with a library of scanned items.
 
I bet that, once in space, it will scan the entire earth, duplicate us. Then, we'll have doubled our troubles.:confused:
 
I wonder if it can accurately reproduce parts that are not fully visible from the exterior, when the scan is made. Did they say if the scan is optical or some sort of xray/internal imaging? If it can "see inside" of objects, maybe it could reproduce itself.
 
They've been using those machines for a few years now to prototype products (they showed it on the Pitchmen show a while back). They have similar machines that can work from CAD drawings too, creating stuff that hasn't existed yet, not just copying existing things.

It won't put mechanical designers and prototype makers out of work, it just moves them from a machine shop to a computer. You still need the design and engineering skills. Computers are nothing more than dumb, inert machines until a skilled operator uses them.
 
My dad was a tool and die maker and built machines from raw metals, working from engineers' drawings. He told me that often he had to fine tune the design to make the thing actually work. He would make small changes, shift parts around slightly, until it all ran smoothly. Now I guess the designers do test runs on the computer and work out the kinks that way.
 
I wonder if it can make copies of all the rare and expensive Buk books? t Then we could all get a copy of, say, 'Flower, Fist...'. All we need is to borrow a copy from a collector. :p
 

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