Printing? Upside down!

Did you know a 3D printer can print upside down?  A little over a year ago Adrian Boyer of the RepRap project proved it was possible.  Given that a 3D printer using this technology can print upside-right¹  and upside-down², it stands to reason you should be able to print in outer space with zero gravity.

What are the practical aspects of this revelation?  I can think of two.  Firstly, as mentioned above, you’d be able to print in space.  Secondly, if you’re low on real estate, you could always bolt a few MakerBots to the ceiling or a wall.  How cool would that be?

1. One G [↩]
2. One negative G [↩]

BBC News’ Daniel Sieberg reported on MakerBot and 3D printing! (The news clip follows a short commercial):

3D printing, which creates a physical object from a digital file, could signal the start of manufacturing with a mouse click instead of hammers and nails.

Advocates of the technology say that 3-D printing could revolutionize the economics of manufacturing by replacing labor costs involved in mass production, storage and shipping with creativity and imagination.