Couple of details I added to TL items

[F33D]

TL 11 - Molecular Separator: technology that allows you to separate molecules into atomic component parts. Ship use is in fuel purif plants and life support. (CO2 into C & O2, etc.)

TL 13 - Molecule Maker: Design and build molecules in massive quantities & complexity from base atomic components. Fuels food industry (meat grown in "vats" & the like) so as to replace agriculture. Used in ship board food synthesizers & Auto Docs. By TL 14 used in advanced ship hull manufacturing.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

I would keep the Molecule Maker pretty basic. It can make the raw material/compounds, but not really build the ship.

Food synthesis is a tricky thing. It is more than what molecules are there, it is about taste (impurities) and texture and temperature etc. VERY hard to duplicate from scratch. BUT, if you don't mind eating yellow cubes and green cubes (ala Silent Running) then you should be fine.

 

[F33D]

I would keep the Molecule Maker pretty basic. It can make the raw material/compounds, but not really build the ship.

I never stated that it could build a ship. It is the tech that allows for the creation of the advanced hull material.

Food synthesis is a tricky thing. It is more than what molecules are there, it is about taste (impurities) and texture and temperature etc. VERY hard to duplicate from scratch. BUT, if you don't mind eating yellow cubes and green cubes (ala Silent Running) then you should be fine.

Taste is almost entirely created by what molecules are present and in what combinations/ratios. Texture would suffer and thus the total eating experience would be sub par indeed. It would almost never be used solely as food but only as part of the process. Of course those of us old enough, remember the colored cubed food from the original Star Trek series (from which Silent Running stole that visual).

So, exploration ships that undertake extremely long missions off the lines of communication would use this. And emergency food supplies.

 

[SSWarlock]

Don't forget Soylent Green..tastes like pork. :shock:

 

[Dave Chase]

3D printers of today can print

Plastic, food, concrete, chocolate, electric circurts (?, prototypes currently)

So, at a higher TL I see no reason it can not print/create more items of different composition.

Dave Chase

 

[AndrewW]

3D printers of today can print

Plastic, food, concrete, chocolate, electric circurts (?, prototypes currently)

So, at a higher TL I see no reason it can not print/create more items of different composition.

Dave Chase

Don't forget there's also organ printing (with inkjet printers).

 

[F33D]

Don't forget there's also organ printing (with inkjet printers).

Mmmm. Giblets!

 

[Dave Chase]

There also is a spray gun (like a paint gun) that is used to spray on DNA skin to help burn victims regrow skin.

Dave Chase