3d printer

I think only plastic parts are made that way.

You can do 3d printing with any material, plastic, glass, metal, etc.

I saw an episode of How Things Are Made on Discovery and 3D metal printers do exist but it's a little more involved then the plastic ones. The metal dust is glued to a plastic dust and built up the same as a a regular 3d printer but the part then needs to be heated in a furnace to fuse the metal dust and burn off the glue and plastic. They made a kitchen cabinet pull in the shape of a seahorse and it has a good bit of detail on it.

Jerry

I've not seen any that can make metal parts, but you can make parts that contain metal particles in the matrix.  You can always make masters using the printer and then use the lost wax process to cast metal copies.

Jan

I glanced at an article recently that seemed to say they had made a gun using 3d printing. In theory, 3D printing could make anything, but the technology is a while away from becoming truly mainstream, but it shows potential. In theory, it would make, for example, putting out a new engine in the toy train market relatively easy,  on an on demand basis, because in theory the parts could be 'printed' at will and put together on an on demand basis..roughly the equivalent of a publisher putting out a print book, versus reading an e-book online. It also might mean that a manufacturing facility could turn out anything from guns to rocking chairs, depending the on the type of machines they had installed.

The gun article was a bit deceptive.  I read that too.

What they made was a lower receiver for an AR-15.  The lower is the serial-numbered part that you have to pass a background check to own, and is therefore technically "the gun," but it doesn't take any of the stress of firing -- all of that is done in the upper receiver which was metal. 

I had not heard of 3d printing metal but I'm not in the industry, so if someone says it can be done, I tend to believe them until I can prove otherwise.

This is who I have print my stuff.

http://www.shapeways.com/

We once looked at 3D printers for work that could print out a mold, then you could make a metal casting. Aluminum and brass for sure. Probably not for high-temp melt metals yet.

Regards,

If you are talking about the 3D Printers that are around $3000 currently, then no they cannot do any type of metal printing.  Even the higher end "Metal Modeling" printers wouldn't be good for conductivity.  And think of it this way..... way back when home printers first came out they could only print at low resolution (pictures looked fuzzy/blurry).  This is true for these early 3D plastic modeling printers too.  If you print something of significant size you will be able to see the layering of the plastic resins as it was built.  Now wait five or so years and just as the home computer printers got fancy and better, so will the 3D printers.  

If you want to make a prototype and then sand and paint it, you'll be happy!  If you are expecting to print a finished product right off the printer, you will not be happy!

We will a demonstration from a local company at our train show next weekend. I will be sure to ask and to take some pictures.

The 'affordable' printers use thermo plastic such as ABS. There is a local 1" live steamer who uses a 3D printer to print 'positives' that are used in making molds to then cast parts.

did anyone do a google search for "metal 3d printers"?

this showed up.

http://www.extremetech.com/ext...ditive-manufacturing

Bigdodge , that's the episode I saw.

Jerry