I was looking at the printers on the Z Corp website. I still do not completely understand how they are able to get the layers built up.

Can someone explain how these 3D printers work?

It appears you can buy one for $19K. What technology is needed to build one yourself?

Take a look at this place --> http://reprap.org/
Thay are trying to build one that is GPL!
Maybe the CNCZone can speed thing up...

I was looking at the printers on the Z Corp website. I still do not completely understand how they are able to get the layers built up.

Can someone explain how these 3D printers work?

It appears you can buy one for $19K. What technology is needed to build one yourself?

Do a Google search on 'stereo lithography' and you will be buried in information.

Building one yourself is probably quite feasible.

depending on what u got and what u want ;)

first is the medium ;)
what do u want to get out as the prototype?

Choices are:
woodlike
plasterlike
plastic
metal

Woodlike one operates using butcher paper (plastic lined paper)
the machine continually pulls out a sheet over the object being formed, and then uses a laser to heat the areas that are to be bonded; increase the power and it becomes a cutter for negative hole removal. Object comes out like a piece of wood, with similar machining characteristics.

#2 is plasterlike - this uses a fine dust of plaster or whatever, and a nozzle dispensing micro amounts of glue - think of it like an inkjet on steroids; there is a z axis for raising/lowering the object, and a tub for the material being bonded - the arm sweeps across and brushes the loose powder across the top of the object and then the head comes in and sprays it with the glue. then the excess (loose powder) is brushed/blown off and the object is lowered and the next clean layer of loose powder is swept on

#3 is laser based; there is a polymer that reacts to laser light (UV); the object is supported in a liquid bath of the stuff, and lowered; each layer is drawn on by the laser forcing the liquid polymer to become solid

#4 is metal sintering - same idea as #2 but you use a metal powder and a much higher power laser - gives u a metallic object which is very porous

thats the # of the systems I know about ;)

Take a look at this place --> http://reprap.org/


I said it before and I'll say it again....a machine that can replicate itself should not be allowed. It will only be a matter of time until some 'genius' writes a nasty program for it telling it to exterminate the humans!! :D


what do u want to get out as the prototype?
Choices are:
woodlike
plasterlike
plastic
metal

...and flesh like! ;)

Take a look at this:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3292
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1603783&page=1

I said it before and I'll say it again....a machine that can replicate itself should not be allowed. It will only be a matter of time until some 'genius' writes a nasty program for it telling it to exterminate the humans!!

It's already been done, the machine would be us humans, the program would be war !! :(




.

Could I take parts of ex-wife #1, and ex-wife #2,...oh-my-god this is scary...

You guys are a riot. And just for the record I don't want any part of ex-wife #1.

I said it before and I'll say it again....a machine that can replicate itself should not be allowed. It will only be a matter of time until some 'genius' writes a nasty program for it telling it to exterminate the humans!! :D


...and flesh like! ;)

Take a look at this:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3292
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1603783&page=1

I excluded two variants because they focus on different venues.

Theres work being done on cellular printing, and electronics-circuit printing.
Cellular uses inkjet-like heads (actually proto work uses actual inkjet heads) to deposit solutions of cells on a scaffolding paper. Printable Electronics uses something akin to laser printer deposition/fusing of toner on a flexible electronics sheet ;) Somehow I doubted the thread poster wanted to know about these ;)

Take a look at this place --> http://reprap.org/
Thay are trying to build one that is GPL!
Maybe the CNCZone can speed thing up...

This is surprisingly doable.

I excluded two variants because they focus on different venues......Somehow I doubted the thread poster wanted to know about these ;)

Maybe he wants to 'Print' a machinist for his shop who he can pay minimum wage and work like a dog......or pay no wage.....argg...shhhh.....dont tell anyone I said that....:D

Maybe he wants to 'Print' a machinist for his shop who he can pay minimum wage and work like a dog......or pay no wage.....argg...shhhh.....dont tell anyone I said that....:D

Machinists? Weren't they all replaced by CNC?

A machinist is just someone who f*^ks around with machines to make more machines ;-)

I was looking at the printers on the Z Corp website. I still do not completely understand how they are able to get the layers built up.

Can someone explain how these 3D printers work?

It appears you can buy one for $19K. What technology is needed to build one yourself?

At my work they bougth one of these Z Corp printers and it looks easy to build ( If you think building CNC machines is easy)
The printer Is working as a inkjet printer. It prints a type of glue into Gypsum powder. The printer head is actually a normal inkjet head. Instead of ink a (sugar solution) is used. The software import STL files. The file is sectioned in step of 0.1 mm. Each section is a bw picture. The part is black and the powder is white. Inside the printer there is two bins. One as reservoir and one to build the part inside. Each bin have a adjustable bottom. controlled by a stepper. When the printer start the Building bin is empty. Then the reservoir step up 0.1 mm and the machine shovel a thin layer of the powder over to the building bin and this bin step down 0.1 mm. Then The print out the first layer/Picture.

I belive that the most challenging part is to find a software that automaticly sections up a part and generate pictures of the sections. I belive that the hardware could easily been buildt out of an modified A1 plotter or something like that.

The part I'm holding is an 1/4 scale of an part for an robot. 1 hour printing and ready. very nice machine.

I belive that the most challenging part is to find a software that automaticly sections up a part and generate pictures of the sections. I belive that the hardware could easily been buildt out of an modified A1 plotter or something like that.



http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/cut3d/c3d_features.htm

I like the 3d printer that uses sugar as the medium

Garric, I found this link a long time ago and posted it to a thread by mononeuran. Take a look at the video {I think its 17meg}. The machine is very doable, but it is more the medium "starch" which is very affordable which makes this process very attractive!
http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~khoshnev/RP/SIS/Selective%20Inhibition%20of%20Sintering.htm

check out: http://www.desktopfactory.com

When this hits the market, expect to see some scrambling from ZCorp and 3D Systems to come up with an "affordable" desktop version of their machines

http://www.vectric.com/WebSite/Vectric/cut3d/c3d_features.htm

Have you used this software? The number of sections could be like 500. So the program have to do this automatic I think. And output an image black & white to print. As I understod form the info about this program you could cut and section the part but manually