The Gada Interim 3D printing prize has been awarded (but its not that much of an achievement)

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/07/05/2228213/reprap-morgan-receives-20000-gada-prize-for-simplifying-3d-printer 
(for the average techie perspective: obviously lots of Skynet references)

Unfortunately, late last year the goal posts were moved. The old interim 
prize (with very specific targets) would have been for what today would 
be a 'dream machine'. As mentioned in my Octacon talk last year 
(http://dspace.org.nz/2012/05/25/octacon/):
" the Interim Gada Prize, worth $20,000 is awarded for work done until 
the end of 2012. In part, to claim this prize a team will have to have a 
printer with:
- Ability to print at least three different materials, including one 
that is usefully electrically conductive.
- Ability to print electronic circuit boards.
- Total materials and parts cost under $200 and that 90% of the volume 
of the printer parts be printed.
- Build volume of the printer above 300x300x100mm in order to ensure 
that items of daily utility can be printed.
- The capacity to print a full set of parts for a complete replica of 
itself within 10 days unattended save for clearing no more than one 
printer head jam.
- Ability to print autonomously without a PC attached.
- Uses no more than 60 watts of electrical power. I think these goals 
are achievable but I don’t know of a single machine that currently can 
do all these."

These goals were changed near the end of last year when they realised 
they weren't going to be able to give out the prize. A new deadline was 
set for the end of May 2013 and the actual printer abilities downgraded 
to just be the best of what is out there (i.e. their was guaranteed to 
be a winner):
"- Requires the least skill and experience from that assembly person,
- Has a low total one-off materials and parts cost,
- Has a high proportion of its own parts that it can print for itself,
- Requires a minimum of specialist parts that it doesn’t make for itself,
- Has a low power requirement when running, and
- Is completely open-source."



-- 
"Believing men would act in their own interest was not cynicism, it turned out, but sheerest optimism; in reality men do not meet so high a standard."
-- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (Chapter 84)
http://hpmor.com/

Reece Arnott
Dunedin
New Zealand


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