3D printers

[moanaman]

This has just arrived on my computer and I find it hard to believe ???. I started with a T squares and set squares to do drawings then drafting machines then 2D electonic now 3D which is beyond me and now this.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw&feature=email[/ame]

What comes next.

Barry G

 

[dsquire]

This has just arrived on my computer and I find it hard to believe ???. I started with a T squares and set squares to do drawings then drafting machines then 2D electonic now 3D which is beyond me and now this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw&feature=email

What comes next.

Barry G

More Unemployment!

Cheers

Don

 

[dreeves]

I would not want to pay for that wrench but wow that sure is cool.

Dave

 

[Herbiev]

A few more years and every kid will have one ;D

 

[mu38&Bg#]

When I was a drafter in 1998 the company I was at was looking into this tech. In 2000 I had a part made using FDM process. Today.......

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW-2xaIDtMk[/youtube]

 

[lazylathe]

We have 2 Projet DP3000 printers at work!
Prints in a light cured resin composite material
with a paraffin wax supporting structure.
Very cool machines but they cost a lot to
operate and waste a lot of material!

That reminds me, I can print stuff I design in
Solidworks and cast it up in chrome cobalt!
I see some cool fly wheels!!!

Andrew

 

[doc1955]

We also have a 3d printer I've used it several times to print out some proto type parts and some assembly jigs.
Anything that I design (if small enough to fit) I can export an STL file and print it. They are pretty cool printers.

 

[metalmad]

That just Blew me away
in a few years everything will be printed
How long before a car factory has only a few supervisors and secretary's on the payrole ??
Pete

 

[fltenwheeler]

Hi All

Here is a picture of some of the parts my son has made for the 1.6 scale CNW J Class Mikado we are building. They are ABS plastic and will be used to make castings.

Tim

 

[b.lindsey]

We have three of these now in the engineering technology department and another 5 in the ME department. Two of the three in ET are FDM machines using extruded ASB plastic. The third one is a STL process using a UV cured liguid resin. We have looked into getting a laser sintering 3D printer which will yield useable metal parts rather than plastic, but the cost of the machine itself is somewhere north of $600,000. These are great machines, easy to use and will print anything you can draw. While the price of the FDM machines has come down depending on size, resolution, etc. the maintenance can be substantial on an annual basis. We figure the direct cost of producing ABS parts to be in the $5.50 per cu. in. range. This Spring I kept track of usage for all the senior design projects and between the two FDM machines we ran right at 1000 cu. in. of material and now that the technology is better known, the use is growing by 25-50% each year.

Bill

 

[Noitoen]

They also print in metal like stainless steel.

 

[mu38&Bg#]

Hmm the link is in my post above but it doesn't show.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW-2xaIDtMk[/ame]

 

[RManley]

ref the first posted video - being able to print stuff in space is a nice idea BUT I think the lack of gravity might play havok with the laying of a powder layer prior to it being set.

It is good stuff tho, Im currently toying with the idea of getting my cylinders cast this way using something called quickcast. It prints the outer surface and in fills with a hony comb structure so that, like lost wax, it can get burnt out without busting the ceramic mold. Precision cast iron cylinders sounds very tempting.

Rob.

 

[Paulsv]

Here's one in kit form for $1,300. Supposedly you can assemble it in a weekend. Gotta wonder about the quality and resolution.

http://store.makerbot.com/makerbot-thing-o-matic.html

 

[Tin Falcon]

the Rapman is another one.
$1500 for the kit http://www.rapmanusa.com/ not cheap but not more than the cost of a cnc retrofit project.
art to part draw on the computer print it out in 3-D IIrc
Buy a rapman from alibre and you get alibe personal for free.
http://www.alibre.com/3dprinters/default.asp
Normal disclaimers I am a Alibre License holder other than that no affiliation.

Tin

 

[BillH]

I have access to three of these cupcake makerbots, seen them in action. The resolution they offer and the finish is so poor that I cannot think of any real use for them.

 

[Tin Falcon]

FYI alibre cad had just been acquired by 3d systems the makers of rap man etc.
An acquaintance of mine is a teacher at a local county college . they bought a 3-d printer for the classroom. I do not know what make of model price point ect but he told me a quick dip in acetone will seal the parts and make them more usable.
3-D printers at this point are prototype machines the give a 3-d sketch of a part. At one time kids used to actually draw with pencils and do 3-d sketches with plasticine clay or carve out of ivory soap . and the soap flakes were used to do the laundry. times have changed a bit over a few decades.
Now kids are drawing in solid works and printing in 3-D
Tin

 

[Jeremy_BP]

I have access to three of these cupcake makerbots, seen them in action. The resolution they offer and the finish is so poor that I cannot think of any real use for them.

I have an old cupcake, and with a bit of patience I've bested the resolution of the 3D printer at my school (a dimension SST). With time and patience it's really a very nice machine.
I find the 3D printer to be a valuable part of my design process. When I'm designing a part, I can make a quick printed mock-up to hold in my hand. I can then get a feel for the part and see it in physical form (albeit somewhat rough) before spending many moons hours machining it. 3D printers won't replace subtractive machining, but they do have their place.