[ExI] 3d printers for sale

[Adrian Tymes]

On Sun, Aug 26, 2012 at 6:25 AM, Charlie Stross
<charlie.stross at gmail.com> wrote:
> There's more than one way to build a 3D printer, and I suspect our first fully self-reproducing ones will actually consist of a whole bunch of specialised printing tools that each have different tasks.

Agreed.  Rather than a single omnitool (which most 3D printers
seem to be modeled on), a more viable approach might better
resemble a miniature automated machine shop, similar to the
approach used to make a CNC lathe.

Alternately, accept oversized components in the 3D printer so
that the 3D printer can print them.  If the central processor is
a conductive-ink-on-paper thing half a meter on a side, rather
than a thumbnail-sized silicon-and-wires chip - can it still
handle the computational load at reasonable speeds?  If so,
then fine, the 3D printer itself is less portable, but mobility is
not its primary function.  Those and the motors seem to be the
elements that 3D printers have the most trouble printing.