The Future is Coming - A Parts Printer

[Luremaker]

I stumbled on this a few days ago and just can't believe the potential. Printers which can actually print 3D objects. For example you can print a part out of nylon that you can actually pickup hold and use. Right now they are expensive and used for prototyping but who knows in the future.

In the future these printers might become afordable. Imagine printing, yes printing a 3D replacement part, no longer available, in the matter of a few hours. No more trips to the parts store. No more waiting weeks. Simply print your own replacement part from a 3D cad drawing. The potential is unlimited. I want one of these now!!

3D Printers - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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[Zick]

I remember reading about that in Popular Science magazine I believe. Cool little product, it would be awesome if the price were more reasonable someday.

 

[chevyzr2s10]

These machines are extremely interesting. We have several of them at my college. We even have one that can print parts in Metal.

 

[jimmer2880]

We got a few demo pieces from one of those. I was very impressed with how rigid the parts were.

I'm waiting on the one which will make a cheeseburger & fries

 

[actionaj]

I would like to see small cnc machines like this made very affordable. I know Sears has a small printer size cnc router for $1700. With something like this possibility's are endless.

 

[RobS]

We utilize this technology at work quite a bit. It is pretty cool. We bought a machine but ended up getting rid of it. Like always, you get what you pay for. They cut some corners and got a piece of junk. We're back to the outside suppliers, but it's still great. Funny thing is they stressed it as a 3D printer to the point of installing it in the office and not the model shop. That part was correct, it's quiet and odorless, fits the office environment just fine.

I was at a show a couple of years ago and they were demonstrating the same thing with colors. They could model a part with a logo in color! Very impressive. We've had some apps where they make the patterns for castings and even molds for injection molding with it. In the "old" days, we'd have a wood model made by a skilled pattern maker to take to a customer to show a new concept. Now it's a click away!

Great stuff, unless you're the skilled pattern maker...

 

[Luremaker]

I had no idea how popular these printers are already. Can't wait for them to become affordable. Wonder if I'll ever be able to afford the ink cartridges!

 

[studor]

First one I saw was at the Dentists office to make caps, crowns and on-lays -- really cool and done during one appointment!!

 

[ccsial]

I would like to see small cnc machines like this made very affordable. I know Sears has a small printer size cnc router for $1700. With something like this possibility's are endless.

Unfortunately the Sears unit is only a 2 axis machine. It would be nice to see them make a 3 axis.

These 3D printers have actually been around for over 20 years and used for prototyping stuff. They are getting more improved and cheaper every year.

 

[Tig]

I'm waiting on the one which will make a cheeseburger & fries

For you trekkies out there it could be. "Tea. Earl Grey. hot."

 

[scott_vt]

Great stuff, unless you're the skilled pattern maker...

Good Afternoon Rob,
Well as you know I wasnt a patternmaker, but I was a modelmaker/toolmaker for 36 years. Unfortunately for are trade, stereo lithography put a serious crimp into what we did years ago. We still had some work, because if you needed a working model, those parts were not going to cut it ! Im still doing some machining work 3 days a week but Im really glad Im at the tail end of my working carrer and not in the beginning or middle of it !

 

[steveoutdoorrec]

This must be one of those great mind things. I was researching this very idea last weekend. I'd looked at it before but the cost was more then the value of all my vehicles combined. So I decided to see what was out there for the DIY crowd. Found a couple that are fairly inexpensive.

The one from RepRap is very inexpensive. The idea is that each machine can make the parts to build another (it's son if you will). I'm trying to get a set of parts but as the project was started in the UK there aren't many machines in the US yet.

Here's another one that uses sugar as a build medium. Of course it's called the CandyFab 4000. For making models to use in mold making this might be a way to go. Although the first thing I thought of was using it to make center pieces for weddings as a way to fund the other toys, I mean tools, on my wish list.

 

[Luremaker]

... The one from RepRap is very inexpensive. The idea is that each machine can make the parts to build another (it's son if you will). I'm trying to get a set of parts but as the project was started in the UK there aren't many machines in the US yet.
...

I love the idea behind this machine. Buy one and use it to make many more machines and give them away. The Software is all Open Source so no cost there... Any one want to halves on a RepRap machine.

 

[DieselPower]

You can make a 3D printer out of a standard ink jet printer. That's what they have done in the medical research industry. I have seen a couple of programs on TV about the converted ink jet printers that they fill the cartridges up with medical products and print out new body parts. If I remember correctly they were printing out structures to replace missing bone. After installed the body grows bone in the structure. Interesting technology. Just think, in a few years if you cut off your finger you might be able to print a new one.

 

[have_blue]

For you trekkies out there it could be. "Tea. Earl Grey. hot."

Well done!


Anyone that wants to see them in action, look up "stereo lithography" on youtube.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

and then there's Grizzly industrial, who sells a pretty decent 3 axis CNC mill for about $22k and a larger one with 12 space auto tool changer for twice that. Use Sketchup or other free CAD software on your PC to design the piece, and it will mill it out.

 

[steveoutdoorrec]

I'm having a little trouble coming up with the $22k for the Grizzly mill, but the RepRap for the cost of materials and it will make it's own clone. That's for me.

One of the beauties of that machine is that being open source it is constantly evolving. The forum over there has a discussion going about freezing the design so there are some static plans for us to follow. Then we can do the upgrades as they are refined.

 

[Erik_in_Hoyt]

technicalities!
OK, the RepRap is a cool idea, but I'd still rather have a CNC lathe & mill so I could make more of them if I wanted... (OK, I'd really rather have enough disposable income i could AFFORD the CNC tools...)

 

[horse7]

I've been wondering for several years why no one has bothered to make library parts fab to order similar to books on demand. Mfg would not do this directly, since they make much of their profit on parts.

There are places like eMachineshop that fab to order. If one had a library of tractor parts, there is no need to have inventory, just order the part fabbed. The price would be high, but then tractor parts are not exactly cheap. This would be useful for those out of production rarely needed and not exotically manufactured items-- fancy heat treating with special alloys would be problematic, but simpler items are surely easy to library and produce to order (indeed, I suspect the tractor mfg actually do something like this, when inventory runs low they make a short run of a few parts to refill the inventory-- and the supply chain rakes in huge profits if the parts sell).

Local parts printing is the ideal end point of course, cut out everyone but the materials supplier and the IP source (you did not think you would avoid DRM did you?).

Indeed, delving a bit deeper into the space at the bottom a Forge of God (materials forge) would have interesting effects-- such ending the "War on Drugs", big pharma, diamond merchants, simple semi fab,... replicating high cost low mass more or less structurally simple materials at low cost.