Functional 3D-Printed Tape Measure 134
First time accepted submitter Trep (366) writes "I thought Slashdot readers might be interested in seeing how my friend is slowly building a 3D printed toolbox. He's created a fully functional tape measure which is 3D printed as a single assembly, to follow up on his 3D printed dial calipers. This is a pretty novel design, with a lot of moving parts that come out of the printer completely assembled!"
Re:How long (Score:4, Informative)
Before a 3d printer becomes affordable? $100
A while yet. The cheapear ones are around $800, some assembly requires. It's the velleman kit one, and while I've never used one, I've seen the results and they are very good.
If you want cheaper, you can build your own. There are plenty of instructions online. The awkward parts are usually either 3D printed or laser cut out of ply or acrylic.
I don't own one. I joined a collective where one is available. If you want to print, that's probably the easiest way as it will also come with people who can tell you how to use the printer well.
straight USB to a linux box.
they already do that part.