Monday, April 18, 2011
Rewriting history
Erik, of course, has done a superb job of estimating the World population of RepRaps together with RepRap-derived machines like MakerBots and 3D-Systems/BfBs.
But I was recently asked for the history of just the RepRap population. I, of course, replied that - like the other 7 billion of you - I didn't have a clue. They then asked for a guess. Well. I can guess as effectively as anyone else, so here's what I said:
The numbers in [brackets] are estimates at the numbers of working RepRaps in the
world. Only the first of these is certain...
Spring 2007 - The first RepRap Darwin was finished. Its RP parts were made in
a Stratasys Dimension.
[1]
During that summer we made four or five sets of parts for the machine in the
Stratasys and sent them to RepRap team members round the world.
30 September 2007 - Vik Olliver in New Zealand finished the second Darwin.
[3]
Around Christmas 2007 - A number of people start to make wooden and lasercut
copies of Darwin. The Bath RepRap Lab also supplied a Stratasys-printed set of
Darwin parts to Ian Adkins of Bits from Bytes, who created silicone moulds from
them and started selling Darwin copies made by PU moulding.
[8]
February 21, 2008 - Zach Smith (now also of MakerBot) gets his Darwin working.
[20]
February 22, 2008 - Ponoko have a lasercut version of Darwin.
Spring 2008 - Lots of the wooden and moulded Darwin-type Repstraps are working,
and people start using them to print RepRaps.
April 2008 - Nophead starts printing Darwin parts on his Repstrap Hydraraptor.
[60]
29 May 2008 - Vik Olliver's Darwin has made a full set of parts for another
Darwin; these are assembled in New Zealand and finally tested when he visits at
Bath University in the UK. This is the first true RepRap replication.
[100]
Summer 2009 - RepRap Mendel introduced.
[400]
Around this time Nophead, I, and many others went into serious production
selling reprapped sets of parts for RepRaps made in RepRap machines on Ebay etc.
Summer 2010
[1500]
Spring 2011
Nophead alone has made over 100 RepRaps for other people. I have made over 50.
[4000]
That's my recollection. But the RepRap crowd is an especially wise one, so all corrections and additions would be most welcome in the comments to this post...
But I was recently asked for the history of just the RepRap population. I, of course, replied that - like the other 7 billion of you - I didn't have a clue. They then asked for a guess. Well. I can guess as effectively as anyone else, so here's what I said:
The numbers in [brackets] are estimates at the numbers of working RepRaps in the
world. Only the first of these is certain...
Spring 2007 - The first RepRap Darwin was finished. Its RP parts were made in
a Stratasys Dimension.
[1]
During that summer we made four or five sets of parts for the machine in the
Stratasys and sent them to RepRap team members round the world.
30 September 2007 - Vik Olliver in New Zealand finished the second Darwin.
[3]
Around Christmas 2007 - A number of people start to make wooden and lasercut
copies of Darwin. The Bath RepRap Lab also supplied a Stratasys-printed set of
Darwin parts to Ian Adkins of Bits from Bytes, who created silicone moulds from
them and started selling Darwin copies made by PU moulding.
[8]
February 21, 2008 - Zach Smith (now also of MakerBot) gets his Darwin working.
[20]
February 22, 2008 - Ponoko have a lasercut version of Darwin.
Spring 2008 - Lots of the wooden and moulded Darwin-type Repstraps are working,
and people start using them to print RepRaps.
April 2008 - Nophead starts printing Darwin parts on his Repstrap Hydraraptor.
[60]
29 May 2008 - Vik Olliver's Darwin has made a full set of parts for another
Darwin; these are assembled in New Zealand and finally tested when he visits at
Bath University in the UK. This is the first true RepRap replication.
[100]
Summer 2009 - RepRap Mendel introduced.
[400]
Around this time Nophead, I, and many others went into serious production
selling reprapped sets of parts for RepRaps made in RepRap machines on Ebay etc.
Summer 2010
[1500]
Spring 2011
Nophead alone has made over 100 RepRaps for other people. I have made over 50.
[4000]
That's my recollection. But the RepRap crowd is an especially wise one, so all corrections and additions would be most welcome in the comments to this post...
Labels: RepRap history; population
