This is an example of state-of-the-art 3-D printing.
http://3dprint.com/54161/3-inch-long-3d-printed-ship/
Sure, it's not a tank, but you get the point. Apparently a single piece printing.

So how long before we start simply buying digital plans from the big kit makers and printing them out ourselves? lol

the printer itself is right around $100,000.00 Not like any of us have that laying around.

That printing above is possible only on a VERY expensive top-of-the-line printer. But, as with text printer/scanners, quality will improve and prices will come down to affordable levels. I'm just displaying the quality level which is presently available, not that anyone could afford such a printer. I have bought printed parts for 1/700 ship models from 3-DModelParts (in the USA) and am very impressed with them - much better than the plastic kit parts and very affordable.

i guess the answer to my question is: as soon as these quality printers are affordable. personally i can't wait!

If you're going to be a DIY'er, you're going to have to learn to use a CAD program!

I've been doing a lot of stuff at Shapeways. .3mm is pretty tiny.

Here's a set of working driveshaft ends and a set of 1/2,3/4 and 1" hydraulic fittings I offer:


better detail:

Me, I fully believe we'll have home printers in the next 10 years, and we won't need to know CAD at all. We'll just buy a pattern and the correct type of plastic feedstock and off we go. There won't be any need to ship boxes of models from China or Taiwan or Japan; you'll just have the pattern emailed to you.

Inexpensive home printers are available now, but you can't do any of the above items on them. They're just for fooling around with - making simple items and toys - or actual practice for the real thing. I foresee (with a top quality printer) paying on-line for a printing program, having it e-mailed directly to your printer, and printing out your part overnight. In the morning you have a nice new piece to add to your collection, or on to your model!

Sorry guys but "standard" 3D printing is already outmoded, here comes Carbon 3D :

http://3dprint.com/51566/carbon3d-clip-3d-printing/

H.P.

Another thing to remember, whether it is a home printer or a state of the art one - are you willing to wait days for you "kit" to print? 3-D printing is not fast.

Amazing!

I think it's worth remembering that there was a time when the notion that a telephone would be in every home (to say nothing of a smartphone in every pocket) was considered farfetched. I can't help but be very exited by the possiblities here and I dont think it is that much of a stretch that at some point buying cad files instead of kits will be a viable option. Until then the aftermarket potential is very high. Exiting times, and not just for modeling

As I am not computer intelligent to say the least, I find this stuff very amazing. I watched something about a year ago about making tools on the shuttle to save weight and function pretty amazing and have followed these inovations as they appear. It should come down to having access to this tech. as easy as our cell phones now a days. Sci/fi always comes to pass sooner or latter. I have been trying to deal with a company called Shapeways for a certain iteam but have been unsuccessful in trying to get a real answer yet. But I will continue as this seems to be the future. I don't know alot of computer stuff but the wrighting is on the wall so to speak. Looks like custom parts will be an e-mail away soon.

Depends on the size of the parts. Otherwise companies like Shapeways, North Star, and 3DModelParts, (and others I don't know about) wouldn't be able to make a viable business of it. Agreed, an entire kit would take longer to print than individual pieces, but printers are faster now with each new production generation. By the time home printing of parts/kits is practical, printing times will have been decreased to the point where it will be possible.

The whole point of this is it would make the kit redundant! The model can be "grown" in one piece, no matter how complex or intricate. I saw a piece at the Science Museum recently which was a model of a WW1 type rotary aircraft engine. The whole model had been produced as one piece INCLUDING MOVING PARTS! The crankshaft rotated and the pistons moved in and out of the cylinders. So you can potentially have your Tiger or WHY printed fully assembled with working tracks and gun, no more Magic Tracks as we know them!

At the moment it is certainly possible, but also very expensive. Only wealthy model collectors could afford them. Plus you'd have to have very accurate plans/blueprints of the vehicle to have functioning parts.

Its slightly different but in the same theme, I visited a company here in Melbourne last month that doe 3d printing in metal. They have just printed the worlds first 3d jet engine. It is full size, a small one, and doesn't work as they are still researching the metal properties and the manufacture process needs some traditional machining as well. By the way 3d printing is now called additive manufacturing and machining subtractive. The term 3d however I'm sure live on as it is more useable. The printer use a different process, laying down a fine bed of metal powder which is then fused by a laser, before the bed goes down and the whole process repeated. They are doing layers 40micron thick, hence that is the fineness of the parts available. That's less than human hair. At the end you just blow away the unfused metal powder to get your part. The resulting part has a fine cast like texture from the process certainly not as smooth as us modellers get.
They manufacture prototype test components for a European aerospace company, with the largest pieces taking about 48 hours to print, these being about 50cm in size at costs in the tens of thousands, however the aerospace company says that a two week turnaround is sensational for them compared to about 6 months in traditional manufacturing.
Have a look on YouTube they are mesmorising to watch.

I got a nice hellfire replica as a memento.

Of more interest, at a recent trade show found a company that 3d print moulds for injection moulding in a non metal product. low run I suspect, but the products on display seemed like larger run items, piping fixtures for example.

Now this may be more for the modelling community, quicker moulds for manufacturing for our normal companies and perhaps cheaper costs for start-up then do traditional injection moulding for the actual kits to keep costs down

Exciting new world, wished was starting my engineering career now not at the other end.

Slightly off topic, forgive me.

While printing a complete vehicle may be some time, you are looking at ~$1k for a competent 3d printer. Of course, you have to budget for the cad program. Recently, MicroMark offered a printer comparative to the ones Shapeways uses, for $700.

FYI:

Not trying to dampen anyone's excitement,, but a couple thoughts come to mind. 1; You'll still have to paint the stuff you crank out of your printer, and 2; you think your significant other raises hell when you buy a new kit now, just wait,,,

Not neccessarily. Some printers will print in color (with color dies presumably).

Some figure kit makers are using 3D printing to create their masters. Figure is designed in CAD system, instead of sculptured by hand. Master is 3D printed and cleaned up. Then traditional molds for resin or metal figures are made from those masters.

I believe Ares/Draconia did just this on their last 54mm figure "Excelsy".

Given what has happened with computer world over the past 30 years or so when a PC used to cost $5000-7000 and now you can get a tablet that can do everything it can for $200 bucks, you'll be seeing 3D printing becoming more affordable sooner then later.