Hi Xer0,
I also came across scientists who were using lego in their labs as a very cheap way to mount optics (no joking, it seems some labs are really not well funded
)
Don't go dissing lego. Need is the mother of invention, and lego makes invention easy.
Other great abuses include unused vinyl turntables, pizza serving platters with bearings, icicle sticks, webcams, pipe cutters, sound cards, amplifiers, syringes, pumps, needles, microscope objectives and cover glasses, medusa lamps, wooden train tracks for small kids, active charcoal, radio valves, speaker posts, tool clamps, razors, magnets, plumbing supplies, dome tweeters, inspection mirrors, bismuth, dental mirrors, drill stops, tape, wire, etc.
Sure, you can make hobbyist priced parts. Cast aluminium, steel or plastic, for instance.
But the question is whether there is anything beyond adapters ("heat sinks") that will ever see enough volume to break even. I'd love to split the costs on a laser crystal coating run, for instance, as I really don't need that many pieces myself, but I doubt many would fork over for that sort of thing. Mounts might be a different matter. A microwedge array to join BR or red beams in a grating might also see some volume (easiest way to get huge power levels, save for conical lenses), but I get the impression those who would like that sort of thing have the tools to do most of the job themselves and the finances to get the remainder professionally done.
I'd love to be wrong about it, though.
