Dear Folks -
As others have said, 3D printers work great as "fabricators" - an
non-magical (i.e. Traveller) version of replicators.
FWIW, I'm running the "Grand Tour" adventure, and the PCs went thru
Vincennes on their way to knighthoods at Deneb.
Our intrepid journalist (Akidda) decided he wanted a floating cameraman
robot, which our travellin' roboticist (Dr Krenstein) took up as a
challenge. I had the player rolling dice to develop the 'bot as Krenstein's
jump-space "hobby", including creating the frame and outer shell as a 3D
printable creation. When they got to Vincennes, Krenstein took the design
(on his hand-comp) to a local fabricator, and had it 3D-printed out.
It meant that in the two weeks they were in-system, they could build a 'bot
from scratch, without the complications of re-tooling a manufacturing plant
to produce a one-off item.
----------------------------------------------------------
David "Hyphen" Jaques-Watson ..at.. Beowulf Down (Tavonni/Vilis/SM 1520)
<http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw> http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw
<>
"I file things in historical order, with a hashing algorithm of gravity"
As others have said, 3D printers work great as "fabricators" - an
non-magical (i.e. Traveller) version of replicators.
FWIW, I'm running the "Grand Tour" adventure, and the PCs went thru
Vincennes on their way to knighthoods at Deneb.
Our intrepid journalist (Akidda) decided he wanted a floating cameraman
robot, which our travellin' roboticist (Dr Krenstein) took up as a
challenge. I had the player rolling dice to develop the 'bot as Krenstein's
jump-space "hobby", including creating the frame and outer shell as a 3D
printable creation. When they got to Vincennes, Krenstein took the design
(on his hand-comp) to a local fabricator, and had it 3D-printed out.
It meant that in the two weeks they were in-system, they could build a 'bot
from scratch, without the complications of re-tooling a manufacturing plant
to produce a one-off item.
----------------------------------------------------------
David "Hyphen" Jaques-Watson ..at.. Beowulf Down (Tavonni/Vilis/SM 1520)
<http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw> http://www.tip.net.au/~davidjw
<>
"I file things in historical order, with a hashing algorithm of gravity"