For a little something different today I had Stable Diffusion generate some images of "Steampunk 3D printers". Maybe if there is some interest in this blog post I will make some more posts for other kinds of hypothetical alternate reality 3D printers.
Image source: Stable Diffusion
Steampunk 3D printers is an interesting idea. Most likely not practical for most commonly used filaments because of the large amount of moisture a steam-powered 3D printer would generate in order to operate. I would guess that whatever printer material to be extruded would be coming from a canister rather than from a spool.
Image source: Stable Diffusion
Maybe a steampunk 3D printer could be an SCP object. This is the kind of thing the Church of the Broken God would use. Analog display with cogs and gears. Probably a slot for some huge punch card at the base of the 3D printer.
Image source: Stable Diffusion
Speaking of the SCP Foundation what about the metal used to make a steampunk 3D printer? The SCP-073 wiki entry mentions a beryllium bronze that is often associated with anomalous cultures and entities.
Image source: Stable Diffusion
Any real world steampunk 3D printer would more likely be art than a functional machine. I searched for steampunk 3D printers on the internet. Almost all of the results were for 3D printing steampunk props. I found a prusa3d.com blog post about making a standard Original Prusa i3 MK3S from a kit aesthetically steampunk but there doesn't seem to be any real world steam-powered 3D printers.
I guess either the mechanical engineering to make a practical steam-powered 3D printer is a headache or the SCP Foundation has hidden all of the 3D printers that the ancient Mekhanites used to have.
Image source: Stable Diffusion