undefined

points

by hingler366 hours ago |

comments

by Ccecil6 hours ago|

[-]

That wasn't exactly what was said...

"it is now popular to just have someone else do it...be it AI or a factory in another country"

And sure there are some people interested in reprap but they have been scattered to the wind. #reprap IRC has become an advertising/support channel for commercial printers. If you go to most of the channels/forums where the development used to happen and mention you want to build a printer you will be flooded with responses about how stupid that is and provided with names/links of the printers you should be buying. Making things is a fool's errand.

Maybe my observations were different...maybe not...but from what I saw at about 2016 the whole DIY machine thing switched.

by necovek6 hours ago|

parent|

[-]

I believe part of it is the cost. It used to be too expensive to get something like a decent commercial 3D printer (though at the same time). Now you can get one for less than the cost of RepRap components back in the day, so it is stupid to do it if you just want to print stuff out (it might even be more expensive, and will likely produce worse prints).

If, however, you want to learn how to build one, or just have an experience of building your own tool you'll use to create stuff, it is most definitely not stupid to do it.

With 3D printing becoming mainstream, you'll have fewer people in those communities who support and live that approach though, and you'll need to look harder to find documentation and like-minded people.