The RepRap is an awesome project, but it is NOT self-replicating. It can print the plastic parts which make up a small part of system Bill of Materials, at much lower resolution. It is very lossy. I use a high end 3D printer at my office and even with precision machines they are very finicky and prone to malfunction. MakerBot is similarly cool, but again it won't reproduce itself.
A sub $1000 3D printer is cool enough, lets not get carried away.
I'm going to guess that's why they have 'potentially' in the title. The video also mentions that the next version of the RepRap will be able to print out circuit boards, which brings it one step closer to actually being a little self-replicating factory.
Donw, I know, but it is a weak qualifier, sure by part count the thing is 50% reproducible, but my proportion almost none is e.g. the metal bars. Its kind of like saying that your desktop printer can reproduce itself by printing layers of paper that can be cut and glued together. I bet someone could do something, but it is unlikely.
By proportion, you're 0% reproducible; you consist entirely of atoms that must be sourced from the environment.
The relevant thing is the availability of the needed parts from the environment and the amount of human effort needed to carry out the replication. At this point the needed parts are widely available and cheap in the US, but sometimes hard to find in other places, but it doesn't look like that's the real problem. And the time to assemble the new machine once you have the parts isn't a big problem. The current problem, as far as I can tell from reading the blogs, is that the machine isn't yet reliable enough to reproduce itself in a lights-off fashion. You have to keep fixing it.
I think when 3D printing takes off it will be the intellectual property where the money is at. Industrial infrastructure (ie. factories, logistics, etc) will become just another commodity like computing hardware is now. China will be the industrial giant no more if it continues to rely on its manufacturing industries and doesn't adapt.
What about when 3D printers are printing buildings, bridges and other structures? Wow that would be amazing.
Thats already the reason for China - injection moulding is very cheap (once you have made the mould) and commodotized.
It's assembling and packaging the parts that takes a lot of time/labor. It's the low labor cost of assembly that is the reason for China - a million 3d fab machines replacing a few injection moulders isn't going to change the time it takes to put the bits in boxes.
It's sad, that they don't advertise this project more at the university... I'm at Bath Uni and heard about RepRap before, but didn't know we've got one right there! I really wouldn't mind working on it as a part of some project.
(actually two, not one... unless they were in a good mood one day and made some more ;) )
A self-replicating printer isn't that until it can build machines to go out and source the materials needed for the continued operation of the printer.
A sub $1000 3D printer is cool enough, lets not get carried away.