With 3-D printers, solid objects may be several clicks away

Los Angeles Times ^ | January 19, 2013 | R. Daniel Foster

[Haddit]

At its most basic level, a 3-D printer is like an automated hot-glue gun programmed to spit out solid objects. The machines extrude layers of plastic into virtually any three-dimensional shape. Print whimsical garden statuary. Reproduce an anatomically correct heart with moving parts for your son's science project (actually, he could do that himself). Create a signature bookend, cookie cutter, necklace — anything.

[Haddit]

At its most basic level, a 3-D printer is like an automated hot-glue gun programmed to spit out solid objects. The machines extrude layers of plastic into virtually any three-dimensional shape. Print whimsical garden statuary. Reproduce an anatomically correct heart with moving parts for your son's science project (actually, he could do that himself). Create a signature bookend, cookie cutter, necklace — anything.

[spokeshave]

Just add glass/carbon fiber particles and/or composite materials to the mix to get metal strength.

[Haddit]

I like this 3D printing. But the guy, R. Daniel Foster, having a partner, bothers me. Why would we ever consider a guy that has the mentality of a woman ever influence us?

OK, I just refreshed and there is nothing.

[LS]

These things are amazing.

[Hardastarboard]

Or a really good engineer could come up with a resin impregnated sintered metal sort of material that becomes solid metal in a typical kitchen oven (or with perhaps a special oven - I’m no metallurgist). They use a similar process (without the 3D printer) already for some parts, I understand.

[DCBryan1]

When will 3d printing be able to melt 4110 steel and titanium and print?

[urtax$@work]

skip the 4110 and go with ‘smart’-steel ,

much thinner and lighter and 10X strong. just go to
your local nano-supplier in the future ;)

[Texas Fossil]

No, but the technology is capable of creating forging/casting dies.

[Salgak]

They do it already. But it's not a home technology for that. Look up "additive manufacturing". . .

And generally, they do it with powdered metals, and laser-sinter them together. . .

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143552-3d-printing-with-metal-the-final-frontier-of-additive-manufacturing

[Eye of Unk]

So much for the 3D printer, I want an affordable 3D scanner, so I can take anything from a chess piece to firearm parts that it will scan and then transfer that file to the 3D printer.

[Salgak]

Mind you, the above video is an older technique: more modern systems directly laser-sinter. . .

[tbw2]

The Austin guys at Distributed Defense are working on a 3-D printed gun. However, they lack a real engineer on the team (one is an electrical engineer, they need a mechanical one) as well as someone who understands material science (so they don’t end up with a gun that melts or deforms during use).
There’s real potential with the technology, but the “print a 3-D gun” effort needs more engineers behind it before it could become a reality.
I just hope someone takes up that cause before the bill to make 3-D printing of guns illegal passes.

[Goodwen]

3-D scanning has been used in dentistry for a long time. Not too “affordable” yet but it is like everything else. The early adopters pay the big bucks and the technology evolves and becomes more affordable within a relatively short period of time.

[Haddit]

123D Catch turns photos into 3D models
http://www.123dapp.com/catch

[Haddit]

3D Printing of Magazines Used by Kel-Tec for Three Years
1/16/2013 9:05:47 PM • by marktwain • 10 replies
Gun Watch ^ | 17 January, 2012 | Dean Weingarten
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2978965/posts

3D printed magazines have been successfully used by Kel-Tec for three years, I discovered at the NSSF Shot Show in Las Vegas yesterday. I talked to Tobias Obermeit, Lead Design Engineer at Kel-Tec, one of the most innovative firearms manufacturers in the United States. Mr. Obermeit said that “Without 3D printing, the PMR-30 would not have been developed, especially the magazine.” Mr. Obermeit informed me that a prototype magazine would be printed and then be used for 100 to 150 rounds, when they would develop cracks. The magazine would then be discarded and another magazine printed.

[spokeshave]

a resin impregnated sintered metal sort of material that becomes solid metal in a typical kitchen oven

Form a mold, fill it with a metal/graphite fibers/polymer then add a liquid catalyst....the catalyst diffuses throughout and creates a solid object..

The neat thing is that the mechanical properties can be adjusted, in terms of strength, flexibility, thermal and electrical conductivity.

Wouldn't be too difficult to form a tapered cylinder with an inside diameter of, say about 0.45 inches...just sayin

Details with a google search of "metal matrix technology"

[aimhigh]

When will 3d printing be able to melt 4110 steel and titanium and print?

A company in Sweden, Arcam AB has an electron beam 3D printer that uses titanium.