Need a part?

[Charlie]

Are you looking for a pencil box for your CT-100, or a yoke cover for your Motorola? Now it looks like we can produce one by pushing a button. Sounds like the replicator on Star Trek TNG, doesn't it?

I was just watching a story on the CBS Morning News, and they demonstrated a 3-D Printer and produced various items with great detail. Apparently an item is scanned, and then the "print head" draws it out layer by layer.

Just think what this could do when it comes to duplicating a hard to find part. You would never have to look for a knob again. Just get a good one from another VK member, make a scan of it, "print" a new one, and send the original knob back to the owner. Maybe make a copy of the "Deluxe" or "Special" letters that are on the front of your CTC-5. I recently broke one of those little convergence magnet sticks... it fell apart due to being cracked in several places. No biggie... just print a new one. Same goes for an escutcheon... just push a button and print one up.

What do you guys think about this? Do you think these would produce quality parts? What other commonly needed parts do you think would be a good to make copies?

BTW... these 3D printers cost a few thousand bucks.