Meet the Robisons and Their Low-Cost RepRap Kit (Video)

Video no longer available.

It seems like less than an hour since Slashdot ran a Report From HOPE: The State of Community Fabrication. Now we have a video about a Massachusetts mother and son team we met at HOPE that had so much trouble with commercial RepRap machines that they designed their own and started marketing it under the name Robison Industries, a company they seem to be starting on the fly that uses their local hackerspace as its manufacturing location. Interested in RepRap? Maybe not yet, but as devotees of the concept point out, nobody outside a small circle of geeks was interested in personal computers at first, but they're ubiquitous today. Will we all have 3D printers on our desks in a few years? Good question. round us up in 2020 or 2025 at our local hackerspace and we may have an answer for you.

For those interesting in further reading, a selection of links mentioned in the video:

• Wildseyes Simple hot end.
• A project to add dual extruders to the RepRap (another attempt, and some general chatter about the idea).
• Automated circuitry manufacturing with the RepRap.
• An inkjet head for the RepRap, made by the RepRap.

Don't forget: Slashdot welcomes reader video submissions. Email robin at roblimo.com for info.

Re:When (if ever) will prices come down?

[thesandtiger]

$75 a month will get you monthly membership in most maker spaces actually.

Ever you are in a position where dropping $500 on a whim is feasible, in many cases you would get more bang for your buck and do a lot more benefit from supporting your local maker community, and helping people who have good ideas but not enough money themselves to buy tools to make those ideas happen. Everyone wins, and you can spend your money on other impulse stuff :D