lathes are much more complicated to use than printers. The reason this confuses me is that there’s not a lot of real barriers to getting a gun if you want one.
CNC lathes are definitely less complex than 3D printers. They operate in 2 dimensions and as a result the G-Code is simple enough to write by hand in many cases (while there is NO practical way to program a 3D printer without CAM software). They’re just a lot more expensive than an Ender 3 and require shop utilities like compressed air.
You can get mired in selecting appropriate tooling and work holding, but there are a million things which can go wrong with a 3D print also. 3D printers typically don’t eject projectiles in case of an operator/programmer mistake though.
The only thing that makes 3D printing seem simple is that the slicers are really damn good, to the point of providing a better experience than commercial CAM software.
The only thing that makes 3D printing seem simple is that the slicers are really damn good, to the point of providing a better experience than commercial CAM software.
Yes, this is what my claim was based on. Also I find selecting tooling to be much more complex than it initially seems and it is incredibly significant.
lathes are much more complicated to use than printers. The reason this confuses me is that there’s not a lot of real barriers to getting a gun if you want one.
CNC lathes are definitely less complex than 3D printers. They operate in 2 dimensions and as a result the G-Code is simple enough to write by hand in many cases (while there is NO practical way to program a 3D printer without CAM software). They’re just a lot more expensive than an Ender 3 and require shop utilities like compressed air.
You can get mired in selecting appropriate tooling and work holding, but there are a million things which can go wrong with a 3D print also. 3D printers typically don’t eject projectiles in case of an operator/programmer mistake though.
The only thing that makes 3D printing seem simple is that the slicers are really damn good, to the point of providing a better experience than commercial CAM software.
Yes, this is what my claim was based on. Also I find selecting tooling to be much more complex than it initially seems and it is incredibly significant.
cnc is much more involved and expensive to have though.