rficalora Rob Ficalora Willis, TX (2764 posts) Registered: 10/24/2007 02:46PM Main British Car: '76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302 |
Who's heard of 3D printing?
I just looked it up to see what it was. That is some cool stuff. If you're not familiar with it, just search on YouTube for "3d printing" and watch a couple of the videos... then imagine when they figure out how to print metals in addition to plastics.
|
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Also known as rapid prototyping. The pieces can be used as patterns for "lost wax" investment casting meaning there is no requirement for draft. So within limits you can use the process to make metal parts. I am pretty certain that some work has also been done in the field of powdered metals, a natural application. So we should be seeing some of those parts coming along at any time.
Jim |
MGBV8 Carl Floyd Kingsport, TN (4514 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 11:32PM Main British Car: 1979 MGB Buick 215 |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Way cool, huh? My son & younger brother turned me onto this stuff. I also saw it awhile back on Jay Leno's list of his Top 10 favorite garage tools.
The future is now! |
Jim Stabe Jim Stabe San Diego, Ca (829 posts) Registered: 02/28/2009 10:01AM Main British Car: 1966 MGB Roadster 350 LT1 Chevy |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
We use it at work quite a bit for making gas turbine parts. An engineer can design a new turbine blade on the computer and the 3D model fed into the printer and a few hours later you have a perfect plastic model of the blade. How perfect is a factor of how many "slices" make it up or how thin each layer of printed plastic is. The plastic can then be encased in a ceramic shell and then the plastic is melted out and metal poured into the mold. Voila! You have a functional part in a couple days vs a couple months.
|
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Staples now has the 3D printers in their Service Section right next to the regular color rinters and BW copiers.
Bring in the file and they'll "print" it right out for you. Brave New World. endless possibilities. Can't wait to see the medical applications along with the new "printing" materials. |
Dan B Dan Blackwood South Charleston, WV (1007 posts) Registered: 11/06/2007 01:55PM Main British Car: 1966 TR4A, 1980 TR7 Multiport EFI MegaSquirt on the TR4A. Lexus V8 pl |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
In WV we have a few of these in Career Tech Centers (previously referred to as "Vocational Schools"..no a dirty word) and I have a bearing on my desk that was printed out in a high school CADD class about 7 years ago. If you are friends or business partners with the CADD program/teacher, you could probably get them to print out your designs for you.
|
RMO 699F Mike Maloney SW Ohio (531 posts) Registered: 12/09/2007 12:28PM Main British Car: 1974 MGB Sebring GT, 3.9 Rover V8 |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
I just watched a tv program where they discussed the social implications of the 3D printers..I was blown away...they had a kid on who made a functioning AR-16 type rifle in a 3D printer..food wll be made in these things in the near future...such as beef etc!!.
|
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Star Trek here we come!
|
RMO 699F Mike Maloney SW Ohio (531 posts) Registered: 12/09/2007 12:28PM Main British Car: 1974 MGB Sebring GT, 3.9 Rover V8 |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Star Trek here we come!
Yea, and it's not just in 5 or 10 years, these and other technolgies are growing exponentially....google is mapping the functions of the brain...in the future they will be able to insert information to enhance learning or specific information (or whatever they want) Just think about it...selling guns or other products will not require licensing as these technologies will be available through the internet...conceivably millions will lbe able to make what ever products they want...perhaps this will be licensed in a similar way that music is now through apple/Itunes etc...?? |
RMO 699F Mike Maloney SW Ohio (531 posts) Registered: 12/09/2007 12:28PM Main British Car: 1974 MGB Sebring GT, 3.9 Rover V8 |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Gary, amen to that!! What we have to concern ourselves with is when they put things in that we do not ask for or want...
|
nobogez07 Doug Brown Webster, South Dakota (58 posts) Registered: 12/11/2012 05:38PM Main British Car: 1971 Mk II MGB coupe 1992 302 Ford H.O. EFI |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
We use it in die casting sample parts. It saves thousands versus "hogging" out a sample part from a billet piece of aluminum
|
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
You can actually laser sinter solid metal parts but I think the unit is still pretty expensive.
Jim |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
The nice thing is, you can draw something yourself and send it off to have it "printed". You don't actually have to own one. I do that with circuit boards. The CB companies have software you download, draw up your CB. It is even in the software to estimate and order copies.
I am not sure the software for 3d printing is quite to that level yet but there are companies which will do the printing. Evidently, there are Iphone apps which can take photos of things and convert to 3d printing files. |
BlownMGB-V8 Jim Blackwood 9406 Gunpowder Rd., Florence, KY 41042 (6470 posts) Registered: 10/23/2007 12:59PM Main British Car: 1971 MGB Blown,Injected,Intercooled Buick 340/AA80E/JagIRS |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
I do not yet know what metals they can sinter, or the physical properties once finished. Presumably the parts could be smoothed and polished to some degree and provide a finish that would accept plating but how even it would be is another question. Some very fine finishes in stainless have been produced with fine powder, compressed preforms and oven sintering, I have a sample scalpel handle that is as good or better than a billet part, with intricate internal details. I doubt laser sintering can match that. This part was made over 15 years ago.
Jim |
RMO 699F Mike Maloney SW Ohio (531 posts) Registered: 12/09/2007 12:28PM Main British Car: 1974 MGB Sebring GT, 3.9 Rover V8 |
Re: Who's heard of 3D printing?
Slighhtly off subject, but one more time on the 3-D printers...they now can take a persons DNA (such as a burn victim) and make skin in a 3D printer that will not be rejected by the body...I'm not making this up, we are living in a rapidly changing world...there is also a machine available that will take virtually any liguid and produce pure drinking drinking water..I'm talking sea water, piss, or paint...this was sci-fi just a few years ago...hang on for the tech ride....
|