<![CDATA[SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/topic/2229/open-source-3d-metal-printing/ Sat, 21 Dec 2013 19:31:03 +0000 PunBB <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44912/#p44912 When I saw this thread title I immediately thought of the $1,200 metal printer posted on Thingiverse earlier this month.

Google "Metal 3-D Printer v1.0 by jpearce".

]]> Sat, 21 Dec 2013 19:31:03 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44912/#p44912 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44385/#p44385 Sweet video link on Thingiverse by 3DTopo. Especially like the break dancing moves at the end.   Would like to give investment casting a try, but one or two hobbies at a time may be a good policy to maintain domestic tranquility ( it's a good thing I can't golf)

I do like the crayon printing concept though for hobbyists- would have a massive color pallet to choose from....

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2013 13:00:02 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44385/#p44385 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44360/#p44360 Try looking at this:  Fully documented PLA to Aluminum casting.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:82176

Bob

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2013 02:55:19 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44360/#p44360 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44359/#p44359 I like it !!!!

and you could have a crayon dispenser that the printhead could 'pull' from like a pen changer on a plotter... this way you would be able to do long prints that may require hundreds of cc's of crayon printing ink.

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2013 02:52:19 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44359/#p44359 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44357/#p44357 The ultimate cheap, easily obtainable, multicolor printing material: A printer that takes crayons as filament, and lost crayon casting would probably work :-).

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2013 02:22:18 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44357/#p44357 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44356/#p44356 Thanks Manx.  Very cool that PLA can be burned out to yield a decent cavity for casting.  For very delicate structures I still wonder if some lost wax filament for 3D printing may yield an improvement.  Just thinking the wax may melt away and not result in as much residual ash.  I see that there are companies offering 3D wax printers for dental applications ( such as the 3Z Lab Cast 3D) and that there are many wax compounds available, but not necessarily any that have been made into filament that works well with our printers.  Perhaps a combination of Parafin with minor additions of higher MW polyethylene or propylene would retain some nice melt out characteristics while still setting up quickly enough to be converted into filament. May be over thinking it though and should just try burning some PLA and go from there.....

]]> Sun, 15 Dec 2013 01:56:04 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44356/#p44356 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44347/#p44347 http://boulderhackerspace.com/2012/08/1 … m-casting/

look up lost PLA casting

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 20:17:08 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44347/#p44347 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44341/#p44341 Does anyone know ow a wax formulation that can be converted into filament and then printed?  Perhaps a mix of 3d printing and traditional investment casting methods could provide a relatively low cost method of making custom metal parts.  I imagine the wax would need the right combination of high and low molecular weight species to enable filament formation while still being able to melt away from the investment shell.  Goes without saying, may need to operate the extruder at low temps and have a good fan or other method for layer cooling.

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 18:28:52 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44341/#p44341 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44333/#p44333 or sharks with laser beams

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 16:11:53 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44333/#p44333 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44314/#p44314 If only I had a big freaking laser to shoot at various bits of metal.. lol

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 07:10:22 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44314/#p44314 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44313/#p44313 Yeah, you have to be careful when alloying things in... never know what might happen wink but it never hurts to try new experiments either.

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 05:44:26 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44313/#p44313 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44311/#p44311 I figure if it has to run all night, it would be fine.  Also, I wonder what would happen if you mixed in like graphite or something with the aluminum to get a bit of black in there to help reflectivity..  Though I guess that would make it a bit impure.

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 05:36:12 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44311/#p44311 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44310/#p44310 There are commercial machines that use CO2 lasers to weld aluminum... although they are pretty high powered to overcome the reflectivity issues with welding aluminum... not sure how far 80 watts would get??? I guess it would depend on the size of welding needed, for some small precision welding I think it might work but would be slow.

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 05:16:28 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44310/#p44310 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44305/#p44305 I wonder if you could use an 80 watt co2 laser to fuse aluminum or something..

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 04:03:06 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44305/#p44305 <![CDATA[Re: Open Source 3D Metal Printing !]]> https://www.soliforum.com/post/44303/#p44303 ran across this a while back --> http://www.appropedia.org/Open-source_m … nted_Parts of course when I tried it using a 'red' welder it didn't work as well wink

]]> Sat, 14 Dec 2013 03:45:33 +0000 https://www.soliforum.com/post/44303/#p44303