And if some day I crumble and actually get one

You can't directly print most metals yet. (Maybe you could print gallium or mercury, but there are issues with metals that are liquid near room temperature...)

You can use lasers to selectively create metals from starting powders - http://www.nasa.gov/...tive_melting.html

You can also 3D print a form and then cover it with metal - http://www.shapeways...dprinting_gallery

The process lays down a thin layer of stainless steel powder, this is bound by a binding material. Layer after layer is applied and the resulting model is then lifted out of the powder. The model is then heated, cured and infused with bronze. Then in this case it is polished. This is a very new process and we're taking it straight out of the lab and bringing it to you.

This is just a bit of expectation management on our part:

We can currently print your models in Stainless Steel. Keep in mind the guidelines when modeling for 3D printing and it is best to keep the wall thickness at a minimum of 3mm. The minimum detail size can be 1mm.

However we have to manually check each model to be sure it can be printed. Even though you can successfully upload your model it will not always mean it can be printed in metal. With this great new process we can now give you guidelines for modeling that will ensure you that designs made according to these specifications can be 3D Printed in metal.

The models will take 14 working days to get to you from the moment you order them.

The Stainless Steel 3D printing process does not provide for as smooth a finish as some other stainless steel things you might already own. You will see some layers and layer definition in your final object.

In some objects the polishing process might not be able to get all the nooks and crannies. In the Moebius ants small model for example that you can see in the pictures above the underside of the ant legs are not polished.

We still think that this is AWESOME! But, want you to know what you're buying!

AWESOME!!!!11

:-/

It's still a very young technique.

HTH.

Cheers,
Scott.

Post #370,061 by crazy 1/19/13 5:47:59 AM Reply	And if some day I crumble and actually get one Are there any that will print steel (or high temp composites) that will allow me to create engine parts for my car?
Post #370,070 by Another Scott 1/19/13 7:32:54 AM Reply	NASA is experimenting with similar machines. You can't directly print most metals yet. (Maybe you could print gallium or mercury, but there are issues with metals that are liquid near room temperature...) You can use lasers to selectively create metals from starting powders - http://www.nasa.gov/...tive_melting.html You can also 3D print a form and then cover it with metal - http://www.shapeways...dprinting_gallery The process lays down a thin layer of stainless steel powder, this is bound by a binding material. Layer after layer is applied and the resulting model is then lifted out of the powder. The model is then heated, cured and infused with bronze. Then in this case it is polished. This is a very new process and we're taking it straight out of the lab and bringing it to you. This is just a bit of expectation management on our part: We can currently print your models in Stainless Steel. Keep in mind the guidelines when modeling for 3D printing and it is best to keep the wall thickness at a minimum of 3mm. The minimum detail size can be 1mm. However we have to manually check each model to be sure it can be printed. Even though you can successfully upload your model it will not always mean it can be printed in metal. With this great new process we can now give you guidelines for modeling that will ensure you that designs made according to these specifications can be 3D Printed in metal. The models will take 14 working days to get to you from the moment you order them. The Stainless Steel 3D printing process does not provide for as smooth a finish as some other stainless steel things you might already own. You will see some layers and layer definition in your final object. In some objects the polishing process might not be able to get all the nooks and crannies. In the Moebius ants small model for example that you can see in the pictures above the underside of the ant legs are not polished. We still think that this is AWESOME! But, want you to know what you're buying! AWESOME!!!!11 :-/ It's still a very young technique. HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #370,081 by folkert 1/19/13 12:00:03 PM Reply	Yes... but they are not as simple as a plastic printer. Much more complicated and are typically kind of a laser ablation technique. And you'd be fare better off buying the parts rather than making them at this point. -- greg@gregfolkert.net PGP key 1024D/B524687C 2003-08-05 Fingerprint: E1D3 E3D7 5850 957E FED0 2B3A ED66 6971 B524 687C

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