MIT researchers have developed a 3D printer with four extrusion heads that can output a fully functional electric motor in a single print job for just 50 cents. The only post-production step? Magnetization. That's it.
Let that sink in. Traditional motors require machining metal parts, winding copper coils, assembling bearings, and aligning magnets. This printer does it all in one continuous process. Print, magnetize, done. You have a working motor.
The 50-cent price tag is what makes this potentially transformative. Right now, even cheap motors cost a few dollars, and that's at scale from Chinese manufacturers. If MIT's process holds up in production, it could radically lower the barrier to entry for robotics and automation projects.
I've seen enough "revolutionary 3D printing" announcements to be skeptical. Most additive manufacturing still can't compete with traditional methods on cost or performance at scale. But MIT has real credibility here—they're not a startup trying to raise a Series A with a glossy demo.
The practical applications are obvious: custom motors for research robots, rapid prototyping for hardware startups, education, repairs in remote locations. Tom's Hardware asks whether we'll be able to 3D print complete engines in the future. That's probably getting ahead of ourselves.
What I want to know: How do these motors perform versus conventionally manufactured ones? What's the power density? Efficiency? Lifespan? A 50-cent motor that dies after 100 hours isn't useful. A 50-cent motor that runs for years changes everything.
The technology is impressive. The question is whether anyone needs it—or rather, whether it's better than what we have. I'm cautiously optimistic, which for me is practically gushing.
