sferrin said:
Definitely NOT. The day they can 3D print a functioning set of bearings I'll eat my car.
For ball bearings, you can still do a good part of the initial production process before handing it off to grinders / buffers, especially considering that a lot of new 3D printers work at sub-millimeter accuracy. Plus, 3D printing is merging with subtractive processes as well, which, with soft tools, could allow some decent (albeit not 100%) ball bearings.
blackstar said:
That's totally wrong. The range of materials that can be used in 3D printing is quite limited.
I disagree; the current range of commercial 3D printing materials available today is limited, but that's purely due to commercial demand and what people are prepared to spend on something that could otherwise be done via existing specialised equipment. Extrusion printing in particular really has few limits; almost any alloy, resin, clay, etc can be used.