On 03/06/2018 11:43 AM, Herb Johnson via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
Dave McGuire did not post about "incredible things" made, but in fact CREDIBLE things - like that finger splint. He could have used popsickle sticks and string; but his local printer + thingiverse design = useful widget. (shrug) 3D printers may simply become like waffle irons and pancake mix: something you do when needed and ignored soon after. Of course they could do more; like icecream cones. ;)
That was very much my point. The printers are are turned on when they're needed, and quickly forgotten about when the task is complete, just like a wrench or a hammer. One other thing that I didn't think of when I typed that last night, which actually illustrates a different point. The thumb splint I made the other day was not the first time I've made that very splint. I screwed up my OTHER thumb last spring, found the splint design on Thingiverse, printed it, used it...and threw it away when I no longer needed it. I needed it again almost a year later, and simply printed another one. In the future, the first one may end up getting recycled and turned back into filament in some way. That would be the obvious next step there. And yes, I could have used popsicle sticks and string, but...I have neither popsicle sticks nor string. :) -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA