3D printers

[scotsjohn]

Listening to the recent developments in 3D printers and they sound like they could be a good source for some of the shitty little plastic parts that go obsolete on all cars. Something like a thermostat housing is now a viable copy and metal parts are on the horizon. Happy days!

[PeteG40]

Ye but pattern thermostat housings are about 20 quid

[metz]

When they can print a centre box for my ehaust system i will be impressed 

[Yoof]

Has this been in the news recently? Heard a few people talking about it now, it's been a very common technology in the Automotive industry for the last decade or so. Printers aren't massively expensive now either.

Stainless steel can already be done too 

The quality of parts is very good, and the speed is ever increasing. I've had a full inlet system made for a development car, is almost as good as an equivalent plastic slightly more brittle mind.

Did read something about someone making edible stuff in them- seems a little strange!

[scotsjohn]

I know a guy who has one and it can do really interesting stuff like teacups. That cost him about six grand a few months back. Working in anything other than resins will cost big time though and not likely to ever be something the man in the street will have in his garden shed.
Opens the door to a whole world of possibilities for repro/retro though, for those with the money. I'd like to know how they replicate alloys though; that's future now stuff.

[gofasterpinch]

i made a fairly basic one about 18 months ago that printed icing structures on cake, which was quite good fun.

work with them all the time, a variety of processes with different materials/finishes.

i'm a fan of the Objet system currently, used to prototype all the automotive stuff using FDM when i worked at Nissan (probably what you had your inlet made from yoof?)

[hayesey]

what has happened yoof is that the price of the printers has drastically reduced in the last couple of years.  And some people are even making their own for peanuts (google search reprap).

[Yoof]

i made a fairly basic one about 18 months ago that printed icing structures on cake, which was quite good fun.

work with them all the time, a variety of processes with different materials/finishes.

i'm a fan of the Objet system currently, used to prototype all the automotive stuff using FDM when i worked at Nissan (probably what you had your inlet made from yoof?)

Yes I believe so, presume that's the same principle as EBM used for stainless and titanium parts?

A few yanks are now sharing designs for guns too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DconsfGsXyA

1 step forward, x back?

[Raw]

The future is apparently not so much print on demand but construct and deconstruct on demand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wShKl0Hbw0

The video fails to mention that the pebbles/sand can be reused time and again and that paterns can be stored and shared for re use.

[Kustom]

The printed titanium parts have good properties and can even be welded

The machines are getting pretty big too, the Aston Martin that was shotup in Skyfall was printed in 1:3 scale

http://gizmodo.com/5959717/skyfall-filmmakers-3d+printed-this-rare-aston-martin-so-they-wouldnt-damage-the-original

[markg40T]

3D metal printing is becomeing a very much used technique for complex shapes that cannot be cast do to the removal of internal plugs.
It is being used as a more cost effective way of manafacture due to the lack of machining after.
The final product with the correct heat treatments is as strong as a cast equivilent. the heat treatment reoves all the internal stresses produced form the heat of mealting the metals.
the theory is that they are a welding machine that lays small welds on top of each other much like priniting ink just getting thicker and thicker.

Quite intresting really.