/sci/ - Science & Math

I suspect future 3d printers, even 20 years from now, will not be capable of printing everything, especially not microchips or precision ball bearings. But there is a solution to this, we can embed components into the print as something is being printed. This has been done before, only it hasn't been automated.

Currently, most 3d printers are good at printing a single material at a time or similar materials because of the processes.

You can print photocurable polymers that are both rubbery and stiff(pic related) or you can print several different metals, but not both at the same time.

And being able to print such things together is likely to be difficult for some time to come. Sure, ultrasonic consolidation offers some interesting possibilities, but it's a very wasteful process at the time, though it can probably be improved.