09-23-2008: It was officially announced that at least 100 Darwin 1.0 RepRap 3D printers had been produced around the world

A big milestone for emerging movement

On September 23, 2008, the now-defunct Seed Magazine published an article titled “Mechanical Generation,” describing the growing phenomenon of the RepRap project and self-replicating 3D printers. The article officially confirmed for the first time that the number of RepRap 3D printers produced by community members had surpassed 100, although the exact number was unknown.

Some claim RepRap could end poverty and halt global warming. This is because RepRap, which can be constructed for a few hundred dollars and runs on open-source software, can make something far more significant than flip-flops. It can build itself. Well, almost.

While such statements may seem rather embarrassing today, this was how the project was perceived 16 years ago: great hope, great future, a big solution to the world’s big problems. Well, it turned out differently in the end.

Although it's unlikely that those reading this post are unfamiliar with the RepRap project, I'll briefly describe its origins and the impact it had on the AM sector worldwide, out of historical duty.

RepRap (short for “replicating rapid prototyper”) is an open-source project invented on February 2, 2004, by Adrian Bowyer, then a Senior Lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. It was a free and open alternative to FDM 3D printers invented and developed by Stratasys.

The real development work on the project began in 2005. The design of the project’s initial 3D printer, "Darwin," was released in March 2007. This was followed by "Mendel" in October 2009, and "Prusa Mendel" and "Huxley" in 2010, although hundreds of variations have since emerged.

The project laid the foundation for the first commercial 3D printers and the companies that developed them, such as MakerBot, BitsFromBytes, Ultimaker, Solidoodle, LulzBot, Printrbot, and Zmorph. One of the best—certainly the most popular—RepRap designs was the mentioned Prusa Mendel, now known as the Prusa i3 (and its subsequent iterations). The RepRap project also led to the creation of the Prusa Mini and Bambu Lab A1 Mini.

Thanks to the RepRap project, the true development of AM technology and the industry took off, breaking the stranglehold held for two decades by the companies that originally invented it.

Source: www.web.archive.org