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A comment on The Achilles’ Heel of 3D Printing. Parent comment

Re:The Achilles’ Heel of 3D Printing by forgottenpaswrd on Sunday December 30, 2012 @05:24PM (#4987358)
" a specialised, single-function machine can always beat a 3D printer for performance"

But there is no more specialized thing than a 3d printer. You can print glasses for your face, not for a general model of faces but for your unique face, your specific sizes in all dimensions.

Getting to performance on the big machines is cost prohibitive for lots of things because you need big runs.

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Re:The Achilles’ Heel of 3D Printing by evincarofautumn on Monday December 31, 2012 @08:30PM (#4991557)
You misunderstand my use of the term "specialised". A 3D printer can print anything, barring some of the limitations outlined in the article. Most machines are intended to serve much more specific functions, and do so with great efficiency: I can print a hole in any shape I like, but if all I want is a hole, why shouldn't I just use a drill press?
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