Here you go, don't test the nerds

Oct 22, 2015
"To call the Glowforge a 3D laser printer isn’t quite right. But the liberties the machine’s three co-founders have taken with the name are really more for the sake of having an intelligible way to describe a working laser cutter that’s the size of a desktop yet can perform the functions of the hulking, 700-plus pounds, $10,000-plus laser CNC cutter-engravers that are found in makerspaces and garages.
“I had a traditional laser cutter in my garage, and I would show it to people all the time,” says co-founder Dan Shapiro. “They would say, ‘Your laser printer is amazing.’ I’d say, ‘That’s not a laser printer.’ … At some point I learned the business advice that you’re supposed to be learning from your customers rather than lecturing to them.”
The machine Shapiro and co-founders Tony Wright and Mark Gosselin have created from their headquarters in downtown Seattle is really a laser cutter. It’s a subtractive manufacturing tool, as opposed to the additive nature of 3D printers." - Fortune Magazine

I don't think that is what he was saying. My interpretation was that he was citing (a recent slew of misinformation) of media claiming that 3D Printers are harmful and in this case the cause of death ; of which a 3D printer would not be able to cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which is way more likely to have been a laser cutter.... No, he's trying to stick up for 3D Printers, of which may contain lasers (not very likely since it's not very commercial yet) and a completely different production method (additive). Obviously, there are A LOT of people with 3D printers in the Bay Area.

That's not how you pronounce epitome.

Is he saying there aren't 3d laser printers? There are. Some use lasers to activate and solidify the medium they are printing with...not all. Sorry dude, you're wrong. Maybe this report is a case of misidentification, but the statement that laser 3d printers don't exist....that's just a bold faced lie.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Laser-3D-Printer-Stereolithography-at-Ho/

I'm definitely throwing this design into the 3D printer! It may not be good for wood, but it will surely be useful as a building block for small plastic pieces.

On a side note, here's a puzzle cube the poolcleaner clan printed. I think the design came from Thingaverse.

From what i understood, he wasn't complaining that the finished joint could be separated and reorientated - that's the whole point of the joint. The problem is that the joint is made by chopping bits off and gluing them back on, so the joint is only as strong as the dab of glue you used to put it back together.

Payback's got a great point though, with a 3D printer it might be possible to put it to good use. I say 3D print these type of joints as sockets into which you stick some wood or metal. A bit like old fashioned tents or gazebos that have plastic sockets to connect the poles. Could be a good way of building large amounts of shelters very quickly, maybe for things like the huge refugee camps we've got going right now due to western imperialism in the middle east.

Your video, MIT lab amazing 3D printer.... using molten glass, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Certainly variable friction there. I've no idea if it would be in the range we'd need for something like this.

Sadly, it doesn't sound like something a home hobbyist could do much with...yet. Give 3D printers a few more years, and we might be able to try this out.

The filament style of 3d Printers are cheap to operate and can be made to nearly any size.

A resin printer needs a photopolymer, something that solidifies when exposed to UV light. They also need a fairly strong projector and lens, which limits their build area.

A filament printer can use a lot of various materials, the most common being PLA (a bioplastic made from renewable plant materials) and ABS. There are many other materials, some are specialty that have an almost rubber like flexibility to them, to a filament that is made from wood and a binder, which results in an printed object that can be sanded and stained. And, since you are moving a print head, the only limitation to the build size is how big you have made your printer.

Resin 3D printers have been around since the late 1980's. It's not good for mass production because you have to use a photopolymer, which tends to be expensive.

When I get my 3D printer set up, I'm going to print me a tiny 3d printer, and then use that to print an even smaller version...

Looks like something you could duplicate on a sizable 3d printer.

...for like, $750 in ABS.

There are some short cool videos of the artist surroudned by 3D printers. Thanks for the promote @kulpims

Nature's 3d printer!

"NASA's 3D Printer Makes Pizza Related Posts"

http://videosift.com/video/Chinese-Street-Food-Made-from-Gutter-Oil-Disgusting