TomW wrote: ↑Sat Feb 17, 2018 1:52 am
Within 5 years you will be able to 3d print a carbon composite wing and screw it onto your fuselage and use it for a long time. It will be accessible to many.
Within 2 years it will be possible, but cost prohibitive.
Check out what MarkedForged is doing. They are soon there.
I'm on this forum 5 years, the printers did not move much in consumables arena. Tom, I have access to the 3D metal printer...$250 1 kg wire.
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If you don't believe me that we should tax making 3D plastic (which will end in the landfill anyway, together with the printers), STOP for a sec and think why is Government taxing us for Solar panel electricity on our roof? Or a bore on our land? The list goes on. I can't even collect wood in the woods, because it is illegal and heavily fined.
We do not really know what the future will be, right? What are the consequences of having kids with 'welded' devices on their hands? Do you know? Anyone? How about we teach them how to model clay with hands, or carve linoleum with a chisel? Ah, but that's not needed in today's economy.
Teaching 'kids' about the resource management would work if, and only if, we take them to the landfill to see in first hand. Somehow that is not happening, me thinks.
Somehow, we are paying more and more for the kites and boards (or anything). The paradigm that the technology is enabling us to save (money and time), is just a dream. If fact, the tech is enabling us to do more, but understand less (yep, we outsourced thinking to someone else who made a software for us to use). Plus, we have less and less time on our hands. True or false (all of it)?
I could not care less if the kite is cut with a CNC if I'm paying $2000 for it. Remember, the bars are going for 600Euros in the EU! Ridiculous. That will not enable you to do 1080 trick (which I started nailing). The board I still use is a $50 DIY, and laughing seeing any carbon board...1000-1500Euros for the composite carbon board? It won't make you better kiter.
Have a look at:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2398698
Would he be a better kiter with today's technologically advanced gear? Hardly believe so. The enviro impact was heaps less back than as well, since wasn't that massively produced. We can't just say the technology is more 'green' when we are producing so much more. And that is a problem.
@Kosta
Without getting difficult, are you kiting with a recycled kite ?
- nope, a brolly
Your car is powered by a mule ?
- using roller blades
Instead of a smartphone you use what ?
- pigeons, they quite tasty too