The University of Virginia has a 3D metal printer. And it builds up, not mills down. This is a brave new world we live in.
MAGIC OF 3D PRINTING if you have an (old) yacht
- Thread starter batami
- Start date
Thanks...I'm definitely gonna start keeping a much closer eye on the potential uses for 3D printing!
I did a google search for 3D metal printing... got a bunch of hits... this one caught my eye.. they do SS and bronze 3D printing
http://www.shapeways.com/materials/steel
http://www.shapeways.com/materials/steel
There is a big trade show coming up this month for 3D Printing in Pamona, CA. I wish I could go. The additive process for printing directly with metals may not quite be there yet, but applications are endless for metals if you think in terms of cutting labor costs in the mold making process. I have a fair level experience in Bronze Casting via lost wax method. Rather than using the plastic media if you go with a wax that has a high melting point you could print all the parts you need to include the venting and gating, then set them directly into the sacrificial fire mold; this effectively skips the entire process of negative molds and lower temp waxes and eliminates not only many hours of labor cost but chances for human error as well. You'd save a ton on materials with the plaster/sand/binder you save as well as the amount of sacrificial wax. As a bonus, the cost of these machines, even the big ones, are coming down.
I'm not over exaggerating when I say that with a combination of off the shelf parts and some 3-D printed parts I'm pretty confident I could spit out a few W-C Skippers at a relatively low cost.
I'm not over exaggerating when I say that with a combination of off the shelf parts and some 3-D printed parts I'm pretty confident I could spit out a few W-C Skippers at a relatively low cost.
I have a 3D printer and it is a godsend for making special parts.
BUT the solid areas are actually a honeycomb matrix to reduce weight and material so they would not have anything like the strength of a solid machined part. There may be a setting on the software to force it to fill all solids but I've not seen or needed it.
One of the uses I do is use the printer to make a female mold of the part and then fill the mold with epoxy. With mold release and a little effort the mold can be broken away leaving a solid part. It is easy to put holes in the mold to position mounting screws etc., so they are set into the epoxy.
Printer cost about $1,100 and can produce objects up to about 8 x 6 x 5. Setup and 3D drawing production is far from trivial and has a long learning curve if you have little experience.
BUT the solid areas are actually a honeycomb matrix to reduce weight and material so they would not have anything like the strength of a solid machined part. There may be a setting on the software to force it to fill all solids but I've not seen or needed it.
One of the uses I do is use the printer to make a female mold of the part and then fill the mold with epoxy. With mold release and a little effort the mold can be broken away leaving a solid part. It is easy to put holes in the mold to position mounting screws etc., so they are set into the epoxy.
Printer cost about $1,100 and can produce objects up to about 8 x 6 x 5. Setup and 3D drawing production is far from trivial and has a long learning curve if you have little experience.
What software do you use to create your 3D models? I have an idea on something simple I need made for my boat, out of Acetal (Delrin) hopefully, and I have a regular line drawing of it. In another life I have used CAD software so hopefully the learning curve is not too steep.
TechAnnMarie, I googled Yandina LLC and read about y'all's Hugo experience. Jeepers. Really good reading. You don't have to understand boats (see my profile) to get a feel for the ride. http://www.yandina.com/Hugo.htm I was 90 miles inland in Camden, SC and still had sustained 90 mph winds.
With a large enough 3d printer I could print a plug for a bulb keel. Imagine the hours of labor saved in shaping, fairing, and molding....