Quote:
Originally Posted by ykobayashi
It is shocking how cheap the machines can get as opposed to the sw tool chain. I wanted to get a printer but the cost of solid 3d cad cam scared me off.
I’ve had the same experience with CNC mills. Getting robust CAM takes $$$. Freeware got me started but it is hit and miss.
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Freeware and the like is fine for the DIY home hobbyist, but if you use something for your livelihood, the cost of quality software is only a drop in the bucket compared to rework, downtime, faulty parts, etc caused by iffy software.
In time, the machines and the software to use them will come down enough to make it reasonable for a DIY guy to do their own printing. Remember when laser printers were only for corporations because they were so expensive? Nowadays you can pick up a color one for under $100 that does a better job than those old ones did. Freeware/Open-Source software will catch up in due time too. Remember Linux distros in the late 90s and early 2000s? LOL! Nowdays though they're a competent alternative to Windoze (assuming you don't need a Windoze-specific piece of software).