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Comment by NoPiece | Hacker News Reader

I would ask this question. What do people buy today that could instead be 3d printed? Probably not that much. But if the question was what do people buy today that could be printed by a higher quality easier to use larger scale printer of the future, then there is an exciting opportunity. And because that is exciting, it is worth paying attention today.

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I sometimes wonder if this is Henry Ford's "if I asked people what they wanted, they'd have said a 'a faster horse'" objection.

The question is perhaps not "what do we buy today that we could 3D print instead", but "what objects/things don't exist today that _could_ with widespread and affordable 3D printing" (and the associated new 3D modelling software/libraries/new-techniques which make the idea->object process more accessable).

You nailed it on the head. Often times, with new technologies that are a step function jump, rather than an incremental improvement, people think "what would I do with it that I already do, but faster/cheaper/easier", rather than "what new things does it allow me to do that I couldn't do before?"

The latter question is the correct one to answer with something as weird and new (new to consumer/pro-sumer) as 3D printing.

i'd like to press a button, and print my dinner. saves me time cooking. bonus points if it printed the utensils, all once use - thrown away after using!

"what objects/things don't exist today that _could_ with widespread and affordable 3D printing"

"Get this batman figure based on todays episode printed at home RIGHT NOW. Just ask your parent to go to acme-cartoon-figures.com/batman05"

* Wheelchair parts

* Orthotics

* Custom grips/parts for walking sticks

* The back of my remote that's been lost since 2000

* Custom holders/stands for devices (modems,phones)

* Custom project boxes

...just for a start.

I don't think most people will have 3d printers in the future.

I think it'll be much more like photo booth shops: every walgreens/walmart/corner store can have one, as well as hobbyists in their garages.

The best use case I have dreamt up so far is replacing this annoying plastic guide that broke off my shower door. I have looked everywhere but cannot find a replacement. In short, I see your point.

I met a guy who bought a 3D Systems Cube - justifying it to himself (and his wife) saying he was going to use it to make toys for his kids for Xmas. It worked out great for that - then he realized that the broken part on the $250k+ printing press that was keeping it out of commission at work, and was unavailable because the manufacturer was in receivership, could also be easily enough modeled and printed out on his "toy". So he did, and it worked fine.

This printing press at work, was it a commercial 3D printer? That would have been quite ironic. (under some definition of "ironic")

Nope - it was some fairly specialized printer that printed onto thick corrugated cardboard to label packing boxes.

3D printers that print 3D printer parts are pretty much the whole idea behind RepRap - arguably one of the very first consumer/hobbyist 3D printer projects…

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