# print a part??? gotta watch this. 3D printer



## DanGraves (Feb 23, 2013)

My brother sent this to me. It is a printer that prints out of composites. Just too cool.

http://youtu.be/jQ-aWFYT_SU


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## Ray C (Feb 23, 2013)

... Not sure why this is suddenly getting so popular but I suspect because the price is dropping.  The SLA process has been around for 15 years.  We'd send mechanical drawings out and 2 days later, a composite part was returned.  They were strong enough for assembly and prototyping.  We eventually purchased our own "printer" and this was 7 years ago at a cost of 190 grand.

Allibre makes them too.  I think they're in the few-thousand $ range or less.


Ray


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## GK1918 (Feb 24, 2013)

Truly amazing, If I am correct Jay Leno even has one.


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## Charley Davidson (Feb 24, 2013)

I posted a link to that video quite sometime back, Way cool. I will own a 3D printer of some sort within the next couple years.


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## pdentrem (Feb 24, 2013)

My brother, the computer whizz, says that the price is nearing $1k and many are home built for less. At a 1000 there is a lot more interest than at 10k for the home user.
Pierre


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## Dr.Fiero (Feb 24, 2013)

You can get an "entry level" machine for $499 now!  $599 for one you'd want to use.


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## xalky (Feb 24, 2013)

Here's a link to the alibre printer. It is an extrusion based printer. Many people are building this type.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSmlT-N9rQM

The extrusion 3d printers are very feasible for a home build. I've been following a couple of builds on another forum and they are getting pretty good results using an already built xyz cnc platform such as a cnc plasma table or router table.

The resolution is far better on the powder resin systems as depicted in the first video. It seems that the powder/resin formulas are highly proprietary which is probably why we're not seeing any home builds yet. That cat will be out of the bag eventually.


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## Cheeseking (Feb 24, 2013)

X2 What Ray said.  It far from new.
I am glad tho because AM/RP technology is soooo so cool.   The home priced machines are definitely getting better.  I have been looking to get the mac-daddy 36" sq Stratasys machine to do pattern making for our foundry. @ $300k + $20K/yr maint contract its still unfeasible for our business model.  Unfortunately the patent situation is keeping prices high and mfgrs balkanized.  
The day is coming when we'll all have a little "printer" on the desk.!!


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## Mightymouse (Feb 25, 2013)

Have a printer on the desk - well dining room table atm.

Bought a rep-rap Huxley for £450 - $675. Assembly and wiring fairly difficult but the software was gobblygook. Got printing after several frustrating weeks but would not be without it now.

Trevor


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## Ray C (Feb 25, 2013)

Yeah, and when they figure-out how to make precision metal parts with this technique, we're all screwed! 

Imagine going to Office Depot, purusing the printer ink and finding cartridges of FE, C, S, Ti, Mn, Si, Pb, AL...


EDIT:  Computer!  Early Gray, Hot.


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## Richard King (Feb 25, 2013)

I just heard on the radio today and then Googled it.  At Conel University they scanned the head of a young boy and then printed a ear and injected some cartilage and it grew.  

http://www.medgadget.com/2013/02/cornell-bioengineers-3d-print-living-replacement-ears.html

Amazing....  I wonder if they can make other body parts?


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## Ray C (Feb 25, 2013)

Cool.  Ear cartilage has traditionally been difficult to repair and is one of the reasons I hated ground work so much.  Some of my training partners had "couliflower ear" so bad, they looked like cartoon characters.  They went to doctors and plastic surgeons and they all pretty much said "tough luck, all we can do is thin the scar tissue".  Of course, the problem persists even after you quit wrestling because the blood-flow in the cartilage is shot.





Richard King said:


> I just heard on the radio today and then Googled it. At Conel University they scanned the head of a young boy and then printed a ear and injected some cartilage and it grew.
> 
> http://www.medgadget.com/2013/02/cornell-bioengineers-3d-print-living-replacement-ears.html
> 
> Amazing.... I wonder if they can make other body parts?


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## 2007markb (Mar 14, 2013)

Do a search on hossmachine on youtube.  He just got into the 3d printing about a year or so ago.  He shows how hes used other printers to make new ones.  Some of the videos are long, some are short, but its amazing nonetheless.


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## hman (Mar 14, 2013)

Re Dan Graves' original Youtube link -

This is a Z Corp 3D printer  http://www.zcorp.com/en/home.aspx.  It works by depositing a thin layer of powder (typically corn starch or plaster 10 years ago, maybe other materials now) on a platen, then using an inkjet print head to print an image of the lowest layer right on the powder.  The ink causes the powder to stick together where it's wetted.  Then the platen is lowered a small amount (maybe .004" or so), a new layer of powder deposited, and the next layer printed, etc. etc.

Once the part is completely printed, and as shown on the video, you pull the object out of the powder and blow off excess powder.  

What they don't show is that the part is *not* very strong at this point.  So you either saturate it with cyanoacrylate (super glue) or lower it into molten wax.  This adds strength.  Then you can safely handle the part and sort-of use it ... but the part will *never* be as strong as metal! You'll notice that they don't really reef down too hard on the nut they're using as a "test" in the video.  Also, if you carefully compare the printed wrench to the original, you'll note that they've made some changes to the shape of the worm - giving it more strength and allowing it to will work more smoothly with the rough surfaces involved.  Impressive, nonetheless.

One of Z Corp's big claims to fame, of course, is that you can produce authentically colored objects.  This can be very valuable when evaluating the "look and feel" of something like a new shampoo bottle.  You can even give the appearance of the label!  And I believe the 0.004" resolution of their top-of-the-line printer is better than that of melt-and-squeeze 3D printers.  IIRC, the laser hardening/liquid based machines have the best resolution.

I was able to use a Z Corp 3D printer about 10 years ago, while an engineer at HP's inkjet production/R&D division in Corvallis, OR.  At the time, Z Corp was using HP's inkjet print heads, and HP was working with them on optimization, etc.  We were encouraged to do "G-job" projects, as well as work related stuff on the printer, so that a wide variety of capabilities could be thoroughly tested.  My own "G-job" was a section of bathroom cabinetry I was rebuilding for a friend.  Good, clean fun!

Of course, Z Corp's products have continued to advance since I worked with them (~2002) and since the video was produced (~2011 or a bit earlier).

- hman
(John Herrmann)


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## tripletap3 (Mar 14, 2013)

Ray C said:


> Yeah, and when they figure-out how to make precision metal parts with this technique, we're all screwed!
> 
> Imagine going to Office Depot, purusing the printer ink and finding cartridges of FE, C, S, Ti, Mn, Si, Pb, AL...
> 
> ...




It is close Ray. 3D printing is just getting started.  http://youtu.be/B9VOwqtOglg


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