3D printers

[jfkbengals]

So we had a Machinist at work who retired several years ago that had one. He did a lot with robotics for a program at a high school somewhere around Charlottesville, and he justified the purchase because of everything he could do for his robotics team. Prior to the printer, if he/they wanted to change out some gearing, for example, he would bring some material to work and make a single piece in a CNC lathe before going home and hope the desired effect was what obtained. With the 3D printer, he could make three or four different gears for just pennies and try them all and compare the effects. I saw several pieces he made out of the thing, and I found it to be incredibly impressive.