Practical infrastructure requirements

Just thinking out loud here, but what sorts of infrastructure requirements are necessary for an area/population to support RepRap (sorry if that's bad wording)? Sure, a RepRap will be technically functional as long as it has a power source and a supply of raw materials. As has been pointed out before, the power source doesn't even have to be on a grid, it can be run through car batteries. However, is it practical to think that a community without access to a steady supply of clean water, for example, will find benefit in a rapid prototyping machine? Yes, I'm sure there are things that could be made with it that would benefit said community, sterile storage tanks, for example, but is it likely that they will see or be able to take advantage of such a benefit? Perhaps I'm looking at this wrong, but I would think that they'd be focusing on other things.

So, practically, what level of infrastructure is required for RepRap to be a success? Steady water, food, society, supply chains, electricity, the internet? Just some food for thought.

-Kyle

Okay. Someone posted on these messageboards a link to an article on the MIT fab lab. It might be interesting to you to see what some peoples have done with that technology. One that sticks out in my mind is an indian who arranged for a milk quality tester to be made using it.

The early generations, probably not so much, in my opinion, but later generations might help them get that clean water, or rather get that water clean.

Something to consider is Metcalfe's law. It states that the value of a network is proportional to the number of nodes in that network. Likewise, the utility of a fabricator will be, (largely,) proportional to the number of toolheads, and thus disparate materials, it can utilize in the making of items.

At the point where the RepRap can reproduce itself, circuitry and all, it will also be able to make limited capacity water purification systems, pumps, septic system parts, etc. It might, although I have my doubts, be able to produce reverse osmosis systems, (I suspect the resolution will not be there, yet.)

Well lets not forget that we can make tools to make tools. Diverse technologies merge to provide interesting possibilities. I know there has been lots done with microtechnology replication commercially. That would be an interesting offshoot. I know we have some chemists working on polymers. Maybe we have some with an interest that. Reprap has some very definite short term goals. We don't need to try to go everywhere all at once. But thats not going to keep many of us from trying. Thats probably how we all got here in the first place. Wanting to do interesting fun stuff.

I'm sure going to keep working on the new materials front which also involves figuring out what the best ways of printing each material are, always keeping an eye on accuracy.
After i have tested the use of UV set materials i will probably embark on our thermoplastic recycling devices or metal particle filled resins, whatever project needs more resources. But to be able to print inverse osmosis devices is surely a very tempting and beautiful project to get your hands on, although on a longer term... hmmm, thanx for the idea!!