I figure the combination is a printer that can do smooth 3D objects and a 3D scanner to help create the drawing (if that is the correct term) for under $1000. The goal would be replicating & creating toys, miniatures, small parts, plastics gears to replace broken ones in various objects and etc.
I know there are printers today that are fairly cheap but I believe none can achieve the detail for small (under 1" diameter) gears and miniatures.
When my kids were little I made loads of wooden toys for them and it was a joy and they loved them. I hope by the time I have grandkids I can expand to even small and finer details toys. Is 10 years from now reasonable?
In the meantime I would like to print small axes and swords to add to my plastic D&D minis. My daughter and I customized with paint, toothpicks, small beads and balsa wood hundreds of figures to build up a large varied collection. But much of the crafted parts look hokey on close inspection. How expensive is a printer up to this standard?
I think it’s already there really in terms of cost. An entry-level 3D printer costs less than a large TV now.
There’s still a way to go on the actual materials though - you can do quite a lot with PLA and ABS, and higher-end machines can print in other resins and even metals and ceramics, but there are still some parts where injection moulding and other more traditional manufacturing techniques are superior.
It’s hard to tell what you mean by “good enough detail” without knowing the specifics of what part you want to make. I can tell you that I’ve made a working replacement part for my bike (about 3/4 inch across) and a number of dice (varied sizes, most of them smaller than that) using a Makerbot, which is one of the cheaper models.
It also depends on what you mean by “home use”. There are a number of facilities (often at libraries or universities) that have 3D printers available for use by the public, sometimes including high-end ones, for only the cost of materials. So you’re not literally printing it at home, but you can still do the design at home and take it to one of those places. They also often have 3D scanners of various quality levels, though that’s not needed if you design on the computer to begin with, or download designs others have made.
If you’re not already aware, Tinkercad is a completely free website where you can make your own 3D designs, and Thingiverse is a collection of a wide variety of designs others have made. You can also get more advanced design tools from Autodesk for free, as long as you’re affiliated with a school in some way and not using it for profit.
EDIT:
More traditional manufacturing techniques are almost always superior to 3D printing… if you’re making enough. 3D printing is much too slow and expensive for large-scale production of almost anything. 3D printers themselves usually have a few printed parts in them, but that’s really more about showing off than it is about practicality.
It looks like this is getting close already to what I’m talking about: **XYZprinting Da Vinci 1.0 AiO All-in-One 3D Printer. **It is a 3D scanner & printer in one. It looks like the print quality is not there yet but a lot closer than just 2 years ago.
Oh, and if it’s just decorative items you want (like gaming miniatures), not something functional with precise tolerances, here’s a trick: Print it in ABS, then lightly dampen a cotton ball with nail polish remover, and leave it in a ziplock bag with the printed piece overnight. The piece will end up with a smooth finish, without the characteristic texture of 3D printing.
The usual number quoted is 5 cents per gram. Whether that’s high or not depends on your point of view, which in turn depends mostly on what sorts of items you’re planning on printing. If your typical item is ten grams, which seems to be about the average for what I make, then they’re fifty cents each, which is cheap. If your typical item is a kilogram, then that’s fifty bucks, which is a lot for a chunk of plastic.
On the other hand, if you make enough stuff, then you can get your own filament extruder, buy PLA or ABS in bulk, and melt it yourself (which also gives you an easy way to recycle your dross). None of the printer manufacturers so far have started doing anything like digitally-signed materials, like the laser printer makers do, and I expect that bulk plastic is pretty cheap (checking online, it looks like it’s between $2.50 and $5.00 per kg, depending on your economy of scale, or about a tenth what the filament costs). Then again, that probably requires making a lot more than the typical home user before the equipment becomes worth the investment.