26 Reply by wardjr

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Re: 3D Metal printing

I can run rods as long as you make them (within reason).  I also have a bulldogXL that would have no trouble pulling that through.  If you are looking for someone to do some testing let me know how I can help.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
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SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

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27 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: 3D Metal printing

The trick is to lay one layer, cool it quick enough as it is being layed so it keeps a semi round form. But then it needs to stay hot enough so the next layer literally melts, welds, bonds to the previous. Otherwise you are just going to be dropping liquid metal or very hot wire that wont bond.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

28 Reply by wardjr

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Re: 3D Metal printing

carl_m1968 wrote:

The trick is to lay one layer, cool it quick enough as it is being layed so it keeps a semi round form. But then it needs to stay hot enough so the next layer literally melts, welds, bonds to the previous. Otherwise you are just going to be dropping liquid metal or very hot wire that wont bond.

Agreed but even if it could be used to trace a single layer it would allow circuits to be drawn with in a print.  Of course being able to print multiple layers would be the goal.  I think the proper alloy could prove to be promising and I am willing to try.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

29 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: 3D Metal printing

Building an object out of it would be problematic, but there might be applications where it might be useful to say, use one extruder to print a layer with open tracks left in, and then use a second extruder to pour the metal into the tracks.  That would work for circuits.  Maybe you could do something with solid infill where it runs plastic first, skipping every other line, then goes back and pours metal into the gaps. 

Another possibility is using HIPS for the plastic.  It would need a new approach to slicing, but the idea would be that the infill is your object, and the perimeters are the mold.

30 Reply by wardjr

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Re: 3D Metal printing

IanJohnson wrote:

Building an object out of it would be problematic, but there might be applications where it might be useful to say, use one extruder to print a layer with open tracks left in, and then use a second extruder to pour the metal into the tracks.  That would work for circuits.  Maybe you could do something with solid infill where it runs plastic first, skipping every other line, then goes back and pours metal into the gaps. 

Another possibility is using HIPS for the plastic.  It would need a new approach to slicing, but the idea would be that the infill is your object, and the perimeters are the mold.

Exactly I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Printit Industries Model 8.10 fully enclosed CoreXY, Chamber heat
3-SD3's & a Workbench all fully enclosed, RH-Slic3r Win7pro, E3D V6, Volcano & Cyclops Hot End
SSR/500W AC Heated Glass Bed, Linear bearings on SS rods. Direct Drive Y-axis, BulldogXL
Thanks to all for your contributions

wardjr's Website

31 Reply by jagowilson (edited by jagowilson 2015-02-05 05:36:58)

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Re: 3D Metal printing

I'm leaning toward GCode post processing to handle the slicing details. Compilers are my main area of expertise and I am working with slic3r GCode output specifically this semester. From a glance this doesn't seem like a difficult project on the software side so I'm willing to help out in any way I can.

I am actually beginning work on perimeter and infill detection algorithms based on GCode output so my work for university is pretty much directly applicable.

32 Reply by kinflute

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Re: 3D Metal printing

"...In a nutshell  molten metals either flow or they don't. They don't have an ooze state like plastics..."

Yes, that's also my concern. If there is a semi state the temperature window is very small. Once
in liquid state it flows without mercy following gravity due to its weight. But it will only leave the nozzle
when the feeding rod will pressurize the reservoir of the extruder, imagine a syringe, injection. So it must be cooled instantly touching the table or following layers, but not too much to have interconnected layers. The temperature balance is the know how.

Just try to get hands on bismuth, make your own Roses metal and start with casting like with tin soldiers
in ABS forms. Or build a 3D structure were you embed wire channels and contact holes, fill in the metal later. Only doing this is already cool.

33 Reply by kinflute

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Re: 3D Metal printing

thinking deeper there is another issue, which I don't have by filling in
liquid Roses metal: the oxid layer.

The thin oxide layer can be a hurdle to have a solid solding between the layers.

Probably it is necessary to use soldering flux, in best case a filament like
soldering tin with flux already inside. A soldering tin manufacturer should
be the best partner as a supplier, he just adds bismuth in his recipe.

The melting itself maybe direct at the point of use, the nozzle, by using
an inductive heater, which melts up the filament and the layer very locally.

Applying inductive heat also allows perfect temperature control correlated
to thickness, filament flow and printing speed, will not affect the ABS, no additional cooling
system, fan.

34 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: 3D Metal printing

kinflute wrote:

thinking deeper there is another issue, which I don't have by filling in
liquid Roses metal: the oxid layer.

The thin oxide layer can be a hurdle to have a solid solding between the layers.

Probably it is necessary to use soldering flux, in best case a filament like
soldering tin with flux already inside. A soldering tin manufacturer should
be the best partner as a supplier, he just adds bismuth in his recipe.

The melting itself maybe direct at the point of use, the nozzle, by using
an inductive heater, which melts up the filament and the layer very locally.

Applying inductive heat also allows perfect temperature control correlated
to thickness, filament flow and printing speed, will not affect the ABS, no additional cooling
system, fan.


Now we are talking about further mods to the printer. Not sure this would be viable for some. The original idea was to print with the printer as is so anyone could do it. So now this is not sounding so doable.

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.

35 Reply by madmarkus

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Re: 3D Metal printing

kinflute wrote:

Please someone give a feedback who was able to open the mp4 and jpg.

worked fine for me, Windows PC but I watch lots of videos and have iTunes installed
there are plenty of MOV to AVI converters ...I even use one on my iphone with iMovie files I make.

DaVinci 2.0 Duo
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1st print 12/26/14

36 Reply by kinflute

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Re: 3D Metal printing

thanks for feedback! You know my favourite German proverb?

"...es gibt nichts Gutes...ausser, man tut es!..." (English translation does not sound so nice)

37 Reply by carl_m1968

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Re: 3D Metal printing

Since it is relevant I though you might find this interesting..

http://www.soliforum.com/topic/8442/aff … ng-weld3d/

http://www.weld3d.com/

Printing since 2009 and still love it!
Anycubic 4MAX best $225 ever invested.
Voxelabs Proxima SLA. 6 inch 2k Mono LCD.
Anycubic Predator, massive Delta machine. 450 x 370 print envelope.