"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Michael A. Terrell" wrote in message
m...

Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message
...
I definitely don't hand code for CNC text engraving...

I spent close to a year hand-coding the common office fonts for
this
ink jet printer, one dot at a time.
http://tinyurl.com/q8aalpm

The thick ink buildup around lab ink-jet test fixtures inspired
3D
printing.


Before, or after Wayne Green discussed the idea in his
magazines?
It
was either in early issues of Byte, or in 73.

I knew Wayne Green at the time, from Mensa, and he never said
anything
about it.


It was in one of his editorials about early personal computing,
before you bought something off the shelf. He also talked about
adapting CD players into a method to distribute programs. BTW a lot
of
his magazines are on http://www.archive.org where you can download
them
for free.

Yeah, we discussed putting software CDs in the magazine. I didn't
think they would survive the mails unless protected by corrugated
cardboard. He did, and was right. My homebrew computer could read only
Teletype tape or its own 600 baud FSK cassette tapes so I had to
manually type in the magazine's programs anyway.

The genesis of 3D printing was the piezoelectric ink jet that
accurately shot out tiny well-controlled single spherical drops of
125C molten plastic. It took a lot of time and effort to learn how to
do that, instead of multiple or wildly wobbling drops of varying size.
The basic idea is as simple and obvious (and crude) as piling up drops
of wax or hot-melt glue.
-jsw