Mr. Mike 10,446 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 (edited) If you have never heard of 3D printing, and in color, this will amaze you! http://wimp.com/functionaltools/ Edited July 12, 2011 by Mr. Mike Link to post Share on other sites
thebob 18,260 Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Extremely cool, what they should point out is the the scanner and the printer don't need to be in the same place. The example of loosing a tool in space is good, but you wouldn't need to take that tool into space for a just in case situation in the first place! When something goes wrong be it on a spaceship or a ship at sea, you can just transmit the data file, to produce the necessary part or tool in situ. Link to post Share on other sites
Alan S 4,607 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 These used to be fantastically expensive, but prices have now fallen to more reasonable levels. (With luck, they will get cheaper still and I will be able to afford one!) They are ideal for prototypes, or for lost-wax castings. Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Mike 10,446 Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 (edited) I am still trying to wrap my mind around this technology! Scanning, powder, inkjet, resins, color, and a solid.....but working prototype/replica as a result!..........I had no idea!........but I was dropped on my head when I was young! Edited July 13, 2011 by Mr. Mike Link to post Share on other sites
HeyMike 11,038 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Amazing... thank you for sharing that video. The future is here. Link to post Share on other sites
UZI 773 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 .......yeah & just when you REALLY needed it to work, you would have a problem like Guenther had Link to post Share on other sites
KennyF 3,855 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Me thinks there's more to this than just pressing a button. For instance, how does the system know that the red drum rotates on an axis? When the guy clicked on the adjusting knurled drum to colour it red, how did it know that the drum was a separate item? How did it know the lower jaw slides to meet the upper jaw? I can see the possibility of 3d printing, it's been around for a while in various guises but how would such a scanner/printer combination know which parts were moving and how they would move? Think back to 2001 a space Odyssey. All the boxes of cereal were perfect reproductions but only two dimensional as there was no way for the duplicator to know there was a third dimension. Like I said, I think there's more to this than we saw in the video. KonGC Link to post Share on other sites
Paul 55,114 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 I can't help but wonder - is this material recyclable? If not, I see a whole lot more waste ahead. Link to post Share on other sites
Admin (Retired) broden 57,115 Posted July 13, 2011 Admin (Retired) Share Posted July 13, 2011 that's pretty cool here's the more delicious version earlier model in action Link to post Share on other sites
Alan S 4,607 Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 One of the first films I saw showing this technology was by Jay Leno. (It is probably on the internet.) He had a broken part (a gear I believe), that a machine scanned, transfered the information to the printer, where software added the allowance for casting, and the printer produced a slightly-larger printed plastic gear. That was taken to a foundry where they cast the new part, that was then accurate to size. As anyone who has had anything to do with patternmaking will know, it is time consuming and expensive, and nowadays, it is hard to find people who can do it. Link to post Share on other sites
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