A lot of in-house prototyping of things, as well as making certain shapes that conventional molds can’t or have a very hard time doing. It’s a fantastic technology who’s uses are quite limited for most people who aren’t big-time hobbyists or working in manufacturing. I’ve done prototyping projects in the past, being able to create a close approximation of a part/product (especially housings) that allowed me to test certain facets of a design without getting the part made in a more expensive way, especially if a part goes through a lot of iterations.
I've printed replacement knobs for my oven when they broke. That was pretty handy when all it cost me was a couple cents of filament and some print time.
3D printing is amazing, this guy’s just an idiot without even an entry level understanding of material science.
Has it been used for anything other than overpriced plastic objects that are suppose to be impressive because they came out of a 3D printer?
A lot of in-house prototyping of things, as well as making certain shapes that conventional molds can’t or have a very hard time doing. It’s a fantastic technology who’s uses are quite limited for most people who aren’t big-time hobbyists or working in manufacturing. I’ve done prototyping projects in the past, being able to create a close approximation of a part/product (especially housings) that allowed me to test certain facets of a design without getting the part made in a more expensive way, especially if a part goes through a lot of iterations.
Its also useful when you need to have something that only you would want
Good for replacing niche things as well. Would I anchor my bookcase with 3d printed anchors? No.
Would I repair the casing on my dishwasher, or replace my gear shift handle? Yeah sure.
I've printed replacement knobs for my oven when they broke. That was pretty handy when all it cost me was a couple cents of filament and some print time.