REPLICATING RAPID PROTOTYPER (reprapp)
ABSTRACT
RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper -- a self-replicating machine often described as a 3D printer that can manufacture components by building them up in layers of plastic. The RepRap Project is an initiative aimed at creating a largely selfreplicating machine which can be used for rapid prototyping and manufacturing. A rapid prototyper is a 3D printer that is able to fabricate three dimensional artifacts from a computer-based model. Project authors describe 'self-replication', understood as the ability to reproduce the components necessary to build another version of itself, as one of the goals for the project. The stated goal of the RepRap project is to produce a pure selfreplicating device not for its own sake but rather to put in the hands of individuals anywhere on the planet, for a minimal outlay of capital, a desktop manufacturing system that would enable the individual to manufacture many of the artifacts used in everyday life