@Bernard recommend posting this thread on Talk to get some feedback on it, as it’s not really a feature request for the website rather a product developmen pitch.
As 3D printing is setteling into the mainstream, its obvious that people try to make a business with it. There is a major catch that prevents starting companies to ear some decent cash with this technology: Its way too slow and cumbersome to produce a fair amount of products for a low price (there are fast printers but they re designed as “Ferraris” and they have a similar pricetag attached to it).Theres also the cost of the consumables and logistic.
So i designed a new type of printer that might solve both issues.
A mass produce printer that can be build with simple ready available part that enables companies to print hundreds of objects in the same time as a conventional printer.
This printer is also designed to make use of a plastic granulate hopper system in stead of pre-made filaments. (granulates are 50 times more cheaper in use than extruded wires, and they can be mixed with recycled material)
A new development i designed last month for it, is a software routine i baptised bunnyhop! This enables 3D printers to print huge objects.
The system is in fact designed to use recycled print waste material so you can refeed misprints and print waste into the machine as well, theres is also a build in polisher.
This machine can be quickly converted into a food printer and can be used mobile as well. (and be able to print at the spot in a medium size van, close to a building site perhaps, so no logistic or wrapping issues)
Its a swiss army type of machine that can be used as mass produce machine or as single print machine that can be used for printing objects the size of a fridge.
So in general im designing a truck rather than a “Ferrari”!
So how about this idea?
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I do love the concept. Are you saying that this would be like a portable 3D printer farm? Mostly I like the “recycled material” part.
How far are you in the process of developing it?
Im still in the process of drawing and design, and looking for more investers to build the contraption (this will be a low cost machine, nothing fancy, just based on 3D printing but with a new approach. Ik have a lot of experience in robotica (in matter of fact i used to build industrial robots from scratch and as far i know, they still work!), 3D design and prepress. I just combined these nowledges together. De portability option is a boon that comes with the low power consumption of a additive printing process. (how much energy you need to melt thermoplastic material with a melting point of rougly 200 degrees centigrade anyway?) A 3D printer can be powered by a truck battery easy!
Recycling thermoplasts after grinding them down is not rocket science too, so is building a 3d printer ( In fact a 3d printer is a simple device, its just a penplotter with a gluegun attached to it, with a additional dimension) The electronics can be based on a Arduino or a Raspberry PI . Im also thinking of a system that mixes all kind off grinded (non thermoplast) material and fibers that can be feed into the hopper without melting the mix material, just the granulates (it will be for rough printing but with additional strenght because the mixed materials act like a sort of concrete. )
Im very intrigued by a planar actuator developed by The Technische Universiteit Eindhoven a few years ago, so there is in the future no need for pulley systems with steppermotors like in a conventional 3D printer. These magnetically levitated planar actuators consist of a single carrier with permanent magnets that is levitated above an array of coils and can move fast and accurately over long distances in the xy-plane. Because the magnets are moving, there are no cables or cooling hoses connected to the moving part. Nevertheless, data and energy can still be transferred, using contactless links.
This is also useful when you make a printer for the food industry. And it makes manufactoring these type of business printers alot simpler, and make room for a affordible microproductionfactory for small business.
By the way: the Bunnyhop routine i developed makes it easy to switch from a mass production machine into a single machine that makes huge objects, but: WITHOUT CHANGING THE OVERALL FOOTPRINT OF THE PRINTER!
Jep, def. something that could work. Do you already have some pics? Curious what it will look like 
Due to patents i cant reveal too much details yet. What i can tell you is that you, once you see it, you will say: I want it!
I did some dry tests with a rudimentary version made from part of a old secondhand penplotter (ye olde wood, bluetac and duck tape approach) and it seems to work. At the moment i am making a design fit for companies (using 3D Studio Max, steppermotor schematics and lots of tech manuals from plastic jet systems and hopper feed desings… and of course the planar actuator system.
Im planning to make a rendered animation with 3D Studio Max to explain the device to non-tech investers or Crowdfunding if needed.
