One can 3D print with conductive filament, and therefore plausibly create passive components like resistors. But what about active components, which typically require semiconductors? Researchers at…
Of course that’s insanely expensive compared to our economy packs of standard PLA, but consider how much conductive filament one would need in comparison to normal filament for a project.
I’m aware that everything is in the realm of hypotheticals and prototypes, but even if the final product is significantly more expensive than standard filament, it’s not like you’ll need to be able to print entire parts out of it, just the electric traces.
I don’t see this being practical beyond a “neat” any time soon. Because it relies on thermal expansion and contraction it won’t be very fast to cycle. It’s also physically pretty long/wide, so a more traditional IC or microcontroller would likely be a better choice unless it’s super thin.
This is still cool, but I am failing to see a practical application.
If/when they’re able to print transistors it will be a lot more interesting.
Oh, I agree completely. I don’t think the tech as-is should be being priced at all. What I’m saying is, even if this product does come to fruition, it likely will still be incredibly expensive compared to normal filament, but the amount one would need to use in a project is very small comparatively.
$2.15/g, oof ouch owie
Of course that’s insanely expensive compared to our economy packs of standard PLA, but consider how much conductive filament one would need in comparison to normal filament for a project.
I’m aware that everything is in the realm of hypotheticals and prototypes, but even if the final product is significantly more expensive than standard filament, it’s not like you’ll need to be able to print entire parts out of it, just the electric traces.
I don’t see this being practical beyond a “neat” any time soon. Because it relies on thermal expansion and contraction it won’t be very fast to cycle. It’s also physically pretty long/wide, so a more traditional IC or microcontroller would likely be a better choice unless it’s super thin.
This is still cool, but I am failing to see a practical application.
If/when they’re able to print transistors it will be a lot more interesting.
What if you just put some fans on it to keep it below 40? It could become more reliable at the expense of requiring a bit more cooling.
Oh, I agree completely. I don’t think the tech as-is should be being priced at all. What I’m saying is, even if this product does come to fruition, it likely will still be incredibly expensive compared to normal filament, but the amount one would need to use in a project is very small comparatively.