http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb07/fabber.ws.html
I so need one of these. Bad thing that I'm too inept to make one.
Abe
I so need one of these. Bad thing that I'm too inept to make one.
Abe
A make it yourself tool that is 1,000% awesomeness
- Thread starter Abe
- Start date
brianpgriset
Well-known member
Abe said:
Call me crazy but couldn't you just get a used Bridgeport mill for less than and/or lathe and make the same stuff, but bigger and better? Unless you want to "fab chocolate bars"
eschoendorff
Well-known member
that's an idea that kicks some serious ***. I bet we see these machines in th near future...
Big_John
Well-known member
I saw something similar on TV a while ago. They built an intake manifold out of plastic, then tested it and then used it for a pattern to make the real casting.
It was very impressive.
It was very impressive.
JohnZ
Well-known member
Big_John said:
The commercialized version of this technology is called "stereolithography"; we've used it in the automotive industry for about ten years to go directly from a 3D CAD model to a part, with no intermediate steps or manual fabrication; slashes the time necessary to hand-make prototype parts that are smaller than 30" x 30" by about 90%, and recent material improvements allow actual use of the part in some cases (like the intake manifold example mentioned above).
JohnZ may know more about this and may be how the intake manifold is manufactured, but there are stereolithography machines now that actually use powdered metal and a laser to manufacture usable prototype parts.
The machine deposits the powdered metal in thin layers and the laser then heats and "sets" the metal as it is deposited. It builds the part layer by layer, starting at the bottom and working its way up ... think of a notebook and each layer is a separate piece of paper ... stack them all up and you have the solid part.
The machine deposits the powdered metal in thin layers and the laser then heats and "sets" the metal as it is deposited. It builds the part layer by layer, starting at the bottom and working its way up ... think of a notebook and each layer is a separate piece of paper ... stack them all up and you have the solid part.
Good input everyone.
What I'm really exited about is that this marks the very beginning of the ability to do rapid prototyping and machining AT HOME. How awesome would it be to be able to draw something up on the pc.,send it to the printer and a couple hours later have a usable metal or composite part ready for you? It sounds a little far fetched right now but in a few years time it could be a reality.
Abe
One more thought.
With this thing being an open source collaberation. We might even see high teck tinkerers making high resolution, usable parts in a year or so. Just look at how far Linux has come.
What I'm really exited about is that this marks the very beginning of the ability to do rapid prototyping and machining AT HOME. How awesome would it be to be able to draw something up on the pc.,send it to the printer and a couple hours later have a usable metal or composite part ready for you? It sounds a little far fetched right now but in a few years time it could be a reality.
Abe
One more thought.
With this thing being an open source collaberation. We might even see high teck tinkerers making high resolution, usable parts in a year or so. Just look at how far Linux has come.
PAToyota
Well-known member
Yeah, the first rapid prototyping machine I saw about eight to ten years ago and I was astounded! Then I saw the price... 
I'm sure that as with everything the price will eventually become reasonable - the first CDR I purchased for the company was $1000 and was only a 2x... Heck, even Sears has their little CNC router machine now... This cannot be too much further off.
I'm sure that as with everything the price will eventually become reasonable - the first CDR I purchased for the company was $1000 and was only a 2x... Heck, even Sears has their little CNC router machine now... This cannot be too much further off.The implications are staggering in regard to this technology.
Need a heater knob bezel for your 1930s restoration project? Just create a file (or download one) describing the part, and there it is. This could apply to just about anything.
All of the jokes from the past about downloading a pizza from the internet may soon be obsolete.
Need a heater knob bezel for your 1930s restoration project? Just create a file (or download one) describing the part, and there it is. This could apply to just about anything.
All of the jokes from the past about downloading a pizza from the internet may soon be obsolete.