The original idea
In 2005 Adrian Bowyer, mechanical engineering lecturer at the University of Bath (UK), starts the RepRap project (Replicating Rapid-prototyper) with a provocative premise: build a fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printer that can print most of its own parts. A self-replicating machine — or as close as possible with available materials.
The first version, RepRap “Darwin”, is completed in 2007: about 48% of the parts are self-printed, the rest is commodity hardware and electronics. GPLv3 licence for mechanical designs, open electronics schematics.
The movement
RepRap spreads as a community project: hundreds of volunteers design variants — Mendel, Huxley — and the first companies producing RepRap-based kits are starting to appear.
The open licence enables proliferation: anyone can copy, modify, sell. Competitive pressure is already driving prices down — an FDM printer costing 5,000+ € in 2006-2007 drops to around 2-3,000 € by 2008.
Prusa i3 (emerging)
By mid-2008 Josef Průša — a young Czech designer — is iterating on Mendel and working on a simplified variant that will later be published as Prusa i3: rigid design, printable parts on a steel/aluminium frame, curated documentation. It’s the trajectory toward making RepRap a kit genuinely within reach of a hobbyist.
Ecosystem
The 3D printing Open Source stack includes:
- Slicer: Skeinforge — translates 3D models into G-code
- Firmware: Sprinter and Marlin (forked from Grbl)
- Formats: STL, OpenSCAD
- Model sharing portals: Thingiverse (MakerBot, 2008)
In the Italian context
The Italian 3D printing community is taking its first steps, with enthusiasts assembling RepRap “Darwin” and “Mendel” in hackerspaces. Alessandro Ranellucci (author of Slic3r) is among the leading Italian contributors to the ecosystem.
References: RepRap Project (Adrian Bowyer, University of Bath, 2005). RepRap Darwin (2007). GPLv3 licence. Thingiverse (MakerBot, 2008).