3D printers: End of numismatics as we know it?

"They do have these kind of printers that do work with metals. What kinds I'm not sure....would have to talk to my engineering friend."

I believe 3D printers will literally change the world, including the evaporation of tens of thousands of skilled jobs around the world
Boeing engineers are talking about building passenger carrying airplanes with them.. Not tomorrow but someday.
Sooner than later.

RIP:millwrights and machinists.

 

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I have a bigger fear of CNC machines rather than this, to be honest.

 

Imagine how horrified were banknote collectors when in mid 1980s color inkjet printers for PCs became available. Was it the end of banknotes collecting as we know it?

 

This was in a recent issue of Popular Science Magazine. I don't think they will be able to replicate a coin very well. The first printer-sized versions are expected to be mass produced within a decade and will mostly be great for replacement plastic parts for cheap Chinese toys for the kiddies!

 

"I have a bigger fear of CNC machines rather than this, to be honest."

I agree with you. Between CNC machines and 3D printers manufacturing is going to radically change.
Now, if we add nano technology to the mix the world is completely turned around, hopefully the good. However, the founder ( I think of Java, a futurist)
of one of the big time tech companies believes nano tech may change the world in ways we can't imagine. Not for the betterment of the
world.

I've seen a CNC machine shaping metal parts on one of the TV custom build motorcycle shows. Pretty amazing.

http://www.cncci.com/resources/articles/what%20is%20cnc.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology

 

I'm not scared. 3d printers are a long ways away from causing problems in numismatics, IMO.

 

not strictly a printer but you get the idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RnIvhlKT7SY

take a look at this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh-DLWdh0WY

 

It's already happening. The technology is already ready to start replacing droves of engineering interns sitting in the basement with piles of balsa wood.

 

They can't fake the metal content, so I'm not too worried. I learned a while ago not to buy most of the higher priced Morgans as there are so many fakes out there. Better to stick with the common date Peace Dollars. Nobody's going to bother to counterfeit them in real silver.

 

The job moves from the work bench to the desk top. 3D modeling has a steep learning curve and requires hours of practice to be any good at it. When the color xerox came out the Treasury was worried about forgeries and is my understanding that they required copiers to slightly scew the proportions and certain shades of green were not reproduced. Later they adjusted the notes to include safe guards. My guess is that coins may start to contain non-reproducing patterns or other safe guards.

 

The military is already using something similar:

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/01/10/star-trek-replicators-for-army/

 

There were many many many tons of bleached notes made and passed with those printers- tweekers were famous for it.

 

Danr, that is true and it resulted in the redesign of the FRN notes to counter the copies. My guess is 3D printers will cause the mint to redesign coins with copy safe guards. We may even go bi-metal to prevent forgeries or include very detailed design elements that don't lend themselves to desktop manufacturing.

Side Bar: A friend of mine has a cabinet shop and he bought a $100,000.00 router. He makes custom conference tables and office furniture for corporations. He uses it to route reliefs in furniture. You can take a jpg, run it through the software to create a 3D relief,and then hit print for as many copies as you want. The router carves it into the wood. Very detailed work. Baretta uses the same type of metal cutting machine to make gun parts. I would say that the technology is already in use accounting for some of these high grade Chinese forgeries.

 

After the newness wares off, 'real coins' will be worth much more!

 

Not if the printer can output the slab as well as the coin!

 

"Not if the printer can output the slab as well as the coin!"

Replicating a slab is no problem for a 3D printger. I suspect they can make a pssable likeness of the halographic image in slabs.