A Whole New Type of Laser Printer

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.versalaser.com/english/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.versalaser.com/english/index.html</a><br /><br /></div>"VersaLaser™ can transform images or drawings on your computer screen into real items made out of an amazing variety of materials… wood, plastic, fabric, paper, glass, leather, stone, ceramic, rubber… and it’s as easy to use as your printer."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/versalaser.gif" /> <br /><br />I saw this advertised in PC Magazine, and was blown away - I've never seen anything like this being promoted to consumers. It's capable of cutting &amp; marking or engraving the following: <br /><br />• Fabric &amp; Leather<br />• Paper &amp; Cardboard<br />• Plastic (sheet, film &amp; molded)<br />• Rubber (natural, synthetic &amp; foam)<br />• Wood &amp; Hard Organics<br /><br />Haven't you always wanted to put a design on your knife? I know I have. :mrgreen: It's fairly expensive at $9995 USD, but I'm sure that less expensive versions will come out in a few years. I can also see some creative types starting up businesses based around a tool like this. Very cool stuff! Maybe I should request a review unit... :lol:

[Zack Mahdavi]

Wow, this opens a whole new consumer market! It is expensive at $10,000, but I can see this going the way of "GarageBand" and "iMovie." It will give the PC yet another creative application.

Now, only if I were even remotely creative... :)

[danmanmayer]

If you have kids in college you have access to these. I am a CS engineer at university of Colorado and we have at least 6 of these (but much bigger can print huge) around campus, and you can print on them for the cost of materials. Same for full 3d printers, which can print movable gears in place. Anyways lots of people use them and I have heard of non students being able to get access to the machines, for a fee. So if your interested talk to kids or check a local college out. The coolest thing I saw one use for was thin plexeglass was cut using the laser cutter to etch in a logo and info to make a bunch of regular size business cards, looked really cool.

Oddly enough i haven't ever used them for anything really.

It can import files from corel draw, photoshop, cad apps, and other such applications but i think it has to be in a vector graphic format.

mmm tech is fun huh....

[Kati Compton]

Okay, everybody. I need your help. Don't tell my father about this.. He'll want one. Badly.

[kosmicki]

I saw one of these (same brand, looks like same model from outside) about three years ago, was still around $10,000. So I'm doubting the price will drop, but I can see printing places getting these. Cheaper then some high end Xeroxes. And I DO want one, so effin cool. Think of the geek factor!

"Oh that? I just tossed it in my laser etching machine. What? You don't have one? No I don't mean a laser printer. Those are SO 2003.."

[Russ]

I too was blown away when I saw this device which build 3-models in a variety of materials. Seem's a bit more advanced than the one you mentioned.

http://www.zcorp.com/

Russ

[bjornkeizers]

F'ing awesome. So this can build an actual 3D model. So say.. I have a 3D cad model of an Ipaq or whatever, and I pop in a plastic cube... this thing could cut out an exact replica? Way cool.

[Aerestis]

Yeah I know some of these can be surprisingly accurate. A lot of us Cg guys are looking forward to the day we can print off our characters or scene models and decorate our work stations with once-digital models :)

[Russ]

F'ing awesome. So this can build an actual 3D model. So say.. I have a 3D cad model of an Ipaq or whatever, and I pop in a plastic cube... this thing could cut out an exact replica? Way cool.

Yep, you can even get some samples from them. It's accurate enough to produce 3d die's for metal casting and you can produce your 3D model in a variety of materials including a sort of metal! OK so it's expensive, but I'd love to have one to produce all the stuff, objects designs etc, that I think of and are just too expensive to process normally. An inventors dream machine :)

I'd never heard of http://www.zcorp.com/ before, but saw it on a BBC web site and had a look. At first I thought it was an April Fool, but it isn't!

As you say ..."F'ing awesome..." now if only I could just win the lottery...

Russ

[Steven Cedrone]

Quick! Somebody make me a flip for my Pocket PC! :wink:

Steve

[Bruno Figueiredo]

Actually you don't put a plastic cube in the machine. The machine works as an inkjet printer (you have liquid plastic colors).

Then, say you are printing a house. It renders the base first with the liquid plastic (rapid dry), line by line. Then it dries. Then another layer on top. Then it begins to drop on the walls. Say you have a window. I doesn't print there but continues to print the surrounding walls.

Its more or less what it does and it's pretty 'dam cool!

[Kacey Green]

Actually you don't put a plastic cube in the machine. The machine works as an inkjet printer (you have liquid plastic colors).

Then, say you are printing a house. It renders the base first with the liquid plastic (rapid dry), line by line. Then it dries. Then another layer on top. Then it begins to drop on the walls. Say you have a window. I doesn't print there but continues to print the surrounding walls.

Its more or less what it does and it's pretty 'dam cool!

Actuly this particular model is a high power lazer mounted in an inkjet, if you watch the video on their site.

You would be right about other 3d modeling printers though.

[greenmozart]

The really fascinating thing about this will be seeing what people come up with. I would imagine everything from paperweights to scale models of the next generation of skyscrapers. RATS - now I'm going to be thinking of new things to try all day long.

And I second Steven's plea for a flip cover for our PPCs!!!

BRILLIANT!!

[Jonathan1]

Holy crap! Next generation porn!!!!! 8O

[Jonathan1]

One of the cooler things that I could think up for Pocket PC's would be a manufacturing process where the device itself is already assembled at least the electronic parts are. And the printer builds the case around the electronics. No cracks, seams or any other gaps in the device. Its one seamless piece of plastic. This goes for laptops as well as PDA's but then you have the problem of how to service such a device. I guess Dell, HP, et al will need to perfect the flawless computer to go with the flawless case. :)

[sundown]

This reminds me of that scene in one of the Jurassic Park movies where they printed a 3D model of the vocal box of the raptors and were able to blow on it like a whistle to see what sound it made.

[foebea]

I cant fint the link anywhere, but there is a prototype 3d printer which has successfully printed all kinds of things. thier goal is to be able to print 3d circuitry for super small computing... instead of a huge motherboard you get a 1/2 inch cube :)

The demo video I saw was of a lightbulb being printed, then they removed it from the printer and screwed it into a socket and it lit up :)

The future is once again upon us.. well - our corporations anyway.

Some day maybe we will get to neil stephensons picture of life with 3d printers that print everything through a catalog. you put in your credit card to your tv\machine thing, choose through the screens to find an airbed or a pda or whatever and hit go, then a few minutes later it pops out!

getting very close to possible. 8O

[disconnected]

This reminds me of a joke/story I read a while ago about a "dumb" old lady who tried to fax something like a teapot to a friend, and was surprised that the friend didn't receive a full three-dimensional teapot at the other end; now it seems she was just a little ahead of her time.

[jake080]

ahh, beautiful... 8O
this is something ive been thinking of for some time now...
i cant wait till you can be like drivin 160mph down the interstate, and theres a McDonalds in the area, and you use a credit card in your car, to order something, then this cool little maching like this printer, would 'warp' it from McD's right to you. Wireless food transmission... its the future!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Bruno Figueiredo]

ckacey:

I was talking about 3d printers, not this particular one.

[danmanmayer]

the 3d printers we have print with two forms of plastic like stuff, one is water solulable and the other is not. So the print comes out full then you dont in water for a few minutes and anything that shouldnt be there melts away. It is really cool, the etcher is fun, but i haven't seen many cool or usefull things done with it.

I haven't seen any of the printers that can do things like working light bulbs. They are cool and fun though.

I want a printer that can print low fat cheese fries, that taste as good as real fries.

[eustts]

We use this type(3d type) printer to developing plastic part for prototyping almost on a daily basis. We develop plastic housings for custom electronic sensors. It cuts the prototyping time in half.....

:mrgreen:

[jake080]

Man, McDonalds would benefit from even this ccome to think of it...
they could prototype new ...foods, like ya know, uh, like a 'Mega Mac' or something, yeah, that would be cool :roll:

~Jake

[JeremySmith]

Go check out http://www.herobuilders.com and http://www.toybuilders.com

Both the same company, but the toybuilders.com site will let you send hand drawings or computer files, and they'll send it to one of they're machines. They have 5 different type "printers" they can use, depending on the desired output material.

[Jonathon Watkins]

I cant fint the link anywhere, but there is a prototype 3d printer which has successfully printed all kinds of things. thier goal is to be able to print 3d circuitry for super small computing... instead of a huge motherboard you get a 1/2 inch cube :)

The demo video I saw was of a lightbulb being printed, then they removed it from the printer and screwed it into a socket and it lit up :)

Surely this was a mock-up? I didn't think were were there yet in terms of the technology?

[Pony99CA]

Actually you don't put a plastic cube in the machine. The machine works as an inkjet printer (you have liquid plastic colors).

Then, say you are printing a house. It renders the base first with the liquid plastic (rapid dry), line by line. Then it dries. Then another layer on top. Then it begins to drop on the walls. Say you have a window. I doesn't print there but continues to print the surrounding walls.
The one that I saw didn't "dry"; they flashed UV light to rapidly cure the plastic goop.

Steve

[bjornkeizers]

This reminds me of that scene in one of the Jurassic Park movies where they printed a 3D model of the vocal box of the raptors and were able to blow on it like a whistle to see what sound it made.

Jurassic Park III. Reminded me of that too! :D

This is very Star Trek. Pretty close to a replicator. The fourth generation or so of this should be pretty close to one.... Imagine, as someone pointed out, you sit at home - you select a product from a catalog whether it's clothing or tech or whatever, and this will assemble the product, complete with packaging and reciept, in under a minute. In theory, *YOU* could design a device or product, and sell it through this replicator. Companies could sell their products to you directly, and since they don't produce anything except the design, you could buy a PDA for $20 or so! 8O 8O 8O

[Kacey Green]

ckacey:

I was talking about 3d printers, not this particular one.

k, then in that case you are absolutely correct

may i add that in some models, instead of printing nothing wher ther is an empty space, they print a material with a very low melting point, and when the object is done an holes such as windows filled with this substance become empty space. ( i need to start posting graphics of my thoughts)