Hey, you guys,
I'm out here screaming about useable cad. Have you checked out "nendo"
at www.nichimen.com. Its a modeler available for $100. It saves obj
files which can easily succesfully be converted to STL. With a little
prodding this company, I'm sure would drop in an stl file. $100. Not
full fledged CAD but a great great toy. Very fun to play with!!
Michael rees.
main wrote
> To List, What Steve is saying is very accurate. Until a vast library
> of buildable file exists, or a simplified method of creating buildable
> files is available, the penetration of RP into the home can not be
> expected to begin. Perhaps our desires of RP becoming a household work
> is a little premature. I believe that the expansion of use of RP in
> the professional arenas has much greater potential of acceptance and
> will provide a much faster infusion into the home. When the
> applications of RP in Sales/Marketing as well as Mfg analysis have
> become a standard tool (or at least an understood option) the expanded
> demand and use could be the engine to create a market for low cost
> mass produced equipment. Ask 10 people you don't know what they think
> of RP and you might be surprised with the responses. (I'm not
> referring to the sick looks either) Another opinion. Carl Dekker
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Steven Pollack
> To: Bill Richards
> Cc: RP-ML
> Sent: Thursday, October 28, 1999 8:56 PM
> Subject: Re: On what RP vendors need to do...
> Yeah, buy my jewelry! You guys make me a millionaire by
> purchasing my jewelry and I will sing the praises of RP so
> loud and so strong that no jeweler would think about not
> owning RP.
>
> Alright, now that I am awake, check out my gallery at:
> http://www.xyzacademy.com/Gallery.htm
>
> Since I started my school for RP jewelry making about two
> weeks ago, I joined Polygon, a private network for
> jewelers. I have already been contacted by 11 jewelers
> possibly interested in learning CAD through my program. I
> am telling you, the RP revolution in the jewelry industry
> and many others will only begin when CAD becomes more
> accessible.
>
> Steven Pollack
>
>
>
> Bill Richards wrote:
>
> > I might be a little behind in responding to this, but I
> > wanted to give this some thought.People keep talking about
> > the future of RP will be a rapid prototyping machine in
> > every home, as ubiquitous as the ink jet printer is today.
> > That will never happen. It isn't so much the cost of the
> > machines, the fact that some RP materials are so exotic
> > they require specialized handling, the fact that the
> > machines require expensive and time consuming upkeep to
> > maintain them, etc. It's simply that it isn't
> > practical.Think of another machine we find in the office
> > that seems no business can do without: the copier. Aside
> > from those of us who have a business at home, I'll bet
> > that no one has a copier in their house. It isn't like
> > there is no demand for this -- look at all the copier
> > service bureaus like Kinkos, CopyExpress, Mailboxes Etc.
> > and such. A lot of public libraries have copiers that one
> > can use for free or at least a nickel or two. Everyone has
> > to make a copy of some document every now and then! But
> > almost no one keeps a Xerox copier in their home.Until the
> > day comes when we have technology that gives us a device
> > such as the replicators we see in Star Trek: all you do is
> > tell the computer what you want, be it a new shirt or a
> > full dinner, and seconds later there it is -- we will
> > never see RP machines in the private home. I would urge RP
> > vendors to steer clear of this route for now.BUT...!That
> > being said, there is a market there! Mainly: hobbyists,
> > model builders, inventors, and as people are finally
> > waking up to the fact, ARTISTS! Which, when you think
> > about it, artists tend to cover the first three there,
> > anyway. There are always tinkers who will want to have
> > something like a prototyper around, so they can make the
> > custom items that invariably they will need, or invent.
> > But considering the cost, right now, of a prototyping
> > machine, it is pretty likely that these people will still
> > go to a service bureau to get the prototype made.Until the
> > price on a "fabber" gets below $5,000, and the raw
> > materials it needs are cheap and easy to get and not toxic
> > or difficult to clean/dispose of, rapid prototyping will
> > never get into the private home.The ripest targets for
> > marketing RP are the art and jewelry industries! Michael
> > Rees, Steve Pollack, and now our newest voice from this
> > sector, Bathsheba, are very good examples. Steve is really
> > the first jeweler I have known to actually take the plunge
> > into using rapid prototyping as an integral part of his
> > business plan.Jewelry is a highly competitive industry.
> > Profit margins are tight, and international competition is
> > fierce. They don't want to risk meager profits on a
> > technology that might not pan out for them. A lot of
> > jewelry companies are looking at rapid prototyping, and
> > there are some who are dabbling in it. But the vast
> > majority are taking a wait and see position. They want to
> > see someone else successfully use rapid prototyping before
> > they take the risk themselves.So if you want to sell your
> > machines to the jewelry industry, you want to help those
> > that are the early adopters succeed at what they are
> > trying to do. Where there is success, business will
> > follow! Offer easier financial assistance. Training and
> > technical support are a must. On the average, an artist
> > won't be as technically minded as an engineer usually
> > is. PROMOTE those that are using your machine! Buy some of
> > Steve's jewelry and show your potential clients what
> > someone is already doing using rapid prototyping. Grab
> > Michael and Bathsheba and pay them to be guest speakers at
> > trade shows to show off what they are doing! You've got to
> > say to the jewelers and artists, "Look what these guys are
> > doing with rapid prototyping technology. You can
> > too!"Start promoting the software that best suits the
> > application! Pro-E (few can afford it!), Solid Works, and
> > others are fantastic for engineering applications. But for
> > artwork, the organic forms that artists create and humans
> > find esthetically pleasing, you will need programs such as
> > form.Z and Rhino.Terry Wohlers says that our industry is
> > in the chasm. I agree. But there are untapped markets we
> > can tap into to carry us through this, we just have to
> > make it easier for these markets to use rapid prototyping.
> > You might realize a smaller profit in these markets -- but
> > it is still a profit!Good luck to all! Bill Richards,
> > Rapid Prototyping Tech.
> > Fielding Manufacturing "From Art... To Parts... ...To
> > Parts!"
> > 780 Wellington Ave.
> > Cranston, RI 02910
> > T: (401) 461-0400 x221
> > F: (401) 941-2222
>
-- michael rees effective immediately suite Number 301 www.michaelrees.com 1015 Washington Ave 314 494 7393 St. Louis Mo 63101 msr@michaelrees.comFor more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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