Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

[Khalid]

Milling that box is easy and takes only a few minutes but it is cheaper to print on a cheap printer than milling, even using a cheap 3040 eBay CNC. Apart from that, I think he should increase the density of the print and should do something about the oozing, as well as adjusting the Z height and the flow properly, since the first layer looks as it is smeared out.

3D printing is fun, and occasionally I also print things which are easier (better, takes less time) to mill, but no doubt that milling results in much better quality than printing the same. I guess this is forever going to be a reality, which is why 3D printers will never replace CNC mills/routers. Time is not an issue if you have no time constraints, but if you want to make many similar objects then it is definitely becoming an issue.

Dear,
This is done with my home made delta printer. As far as oozing is concerned and top layer finishing. This print was straight out of printer even without removing any strands... This was my first print after 6months. The ABS you know keeping so long in open environment cause trouble in printing. Let me show you some of my work with the same printer. Though u didn't see the 3D model with some overhang features that can't be done with ordinary 3axis machine
.

[Khalid]

Some videos:

[Khalid]

see the details

[Khalid]

and this:

[Khalid]

Very neat....where else could you get a one off custom made box for a project like that......time is not a problem in that case.
Ian.

3D printing is revolution. You know i sold my CNC when i made these two delta printers. guys who dont have these toys dont know the fun. I believe with the advent of modern technology a point in very near future will come when the surface finish and tolerance of metal 3d printers will meet CNC machin counterparts.

[A_Camera]

Khalid, you are hijacking a thread for your own private show and went severely off topic. This thread is about metal printing, not plastic. Btw, I am on my second 3D printer build now and also designed and build two CNC so yes, I think I know the subject...

[Khalid]

Thanks and Sorry for hijacking..

[A_Camera]

I believe with the advent of modern technology a point in very near future will come when the surface finish and tolerance of metal 3d printers will meet CNC machin counterparts.

...and you are wrong. 3D printers are not even near regarding soft plastics, with metal it is even more of a challenge. It's all about physics...

[Khalid]

...and you are wrong. 3D printers are not even near regarding soft plastics, with metal it is even more of a challenge. It's all about physics...

man.. You are looking at prevailing technology..i am looking beyond it... Couple decade back there was no metal 3D printing concept... Then the revolution begins... This is a revolutionery procedure where methodology and innovations in existing technology happens to improve or comeup with new solution... I am very positive about the future .. You can't think when all of sudden a new machine come out the market showing you the results what you dont imagine right now...
See, The last century technological revolution especially after the Computer introduction..I think in the last couple of centuries advancement in technology exponentially happen in a way that the since birth of this planet no such advancement has been witnessed....
I am very positive about the nanotechnology and future 3D printing on molecular level (better say atomic level)....

[handlewanker]

I don't think khalid was blowing his trumpet, veering off topic a bit maybe …...he was just contributing his progress for those that aren't aware of the potential of a 3D printer …..like myself...….. the printer, given the ideal situation, can run rings around a CNC machine, each at the moment do have their limitations but like all things with progress will only get better.

The question is ...are 3D components going to replace milling...….it depends on the application of the component.....some plastic components can be but don't have to be milled.

Who would have thought you could cast aluminium in a silicon rubber mold or make a radio receiver you could not see with the naked eye...….ANYTHING, given the progress of time, is a possibility.

Two hundred years ago, if you said in a public place that you could send a message a hundred miles away and get a reply within seconds you would have been either knighted or hanged for heresy.

BTW......if you don't think intelligent molecular growth can create a part, how does an embryo get to be a person......all it takes is to fathom out how to encode particles so that they take up a particular shape when activated...……...whew, beam me up somebody.
Ian.

[A_Camera]

man.. You are looking at prevailing technology..i am looking beyond it... Couple decade back there was no metal 3D printing concept... Then the revolution begins... This is a revolutionery procedure where methodology and innovations in existing technology happens to improve or comeup with new solution... I am very positive about the future .. You can't think when all of sudden a new machine come out the market showing you the results what you dont imagine right now...
See, The last century technological revolution especially after the Computer introduction..I think in the last couple of centuries advancement in technology exponentially happen in a way that the since birth of this planet no such advancement has been witnessed....
I am very positive about the nanotechnology and future 3D printing on molecular level (better say atomic level)....

As I said, it's about physics. Material which you can print, regardless if you melt it, like you melt the plastic filament, or melt the metal powder when you print metal, is NOT the same as the block of material you use for milling, metal or plastic or whatever else. It can NEVER be made the same, even if it can have the same shape, or even more advanced, as a milled part. These technologies are totally different, they COMPLEMENT each other but NOT replace. I do believe in technology and the future, and also closely followed the technological evolution of this planet, and in fact, have been, and still am part of it and VERY deeply involved due to my day-to-day work. I am not just dreaming, but working very close to, and within what was totally unimaginable just a few years back... So I am not the "enemy" you have to win over or convince. But I also know some limitations, which no matter who dreams about what, can not be eliminated.

[mactec54]

man.. You are looking at prevailing technology..i am looking beyond it... Couple decade back there was no metal 3D printing concept... Then the revolution begins... This is a revolutionery procedure where methodology and innovations in existing technology happens to improve or comeup with new solution... I am very positive about the future .. You can't think when all of sudden a new machine come out the market showing you the results what you dont imagine right now...
See, The last century technological revolution especially after the Computer introduction..I think in the last couple of centuries advancement in technology exponentially happen in a way that the since birth of this planet no such advancement has been witnessed....
I am very positive about the nanotechnology and future 3D printing on molecular level (better say atomic level)....

You need to look at the history of metal sintering and you will see that it has taken 112 years to get to where it is at now

The process has changed, they where doing the same metal sintering in 1906 the first patent on sintering powders, so the only thing that has changed is the process and there are many variation's of how it is being processed

Here is a good video, which combines 3D printing with milling on the same machine

[A_Camera]

I don't think khalid was blowing his trumpet, veering off topic a bit maybe …...he was just contributing his progress for those that aren't aware of the potential of a 3D printer …..like myself...….. the printer, given the ideal situation, can run rings around a CNC machine, each at the moment do have their limitations but like all things with progress will only get better.

Yes, nobody is denying the fact that 3D printers can do things CNC machines can not, especially not a 3-axis type. I was just commenting that box he made, which was not that good and not that well made at all. As a first try... I would have stopped the printing before it was finished, but some people want to finish everything they print. I normally stop the printing as soon as I see some serious issues because to continue is just a waste of time and material, but we are all different.

The question is ...are 3D components going to replace milling...….it depends on the application of the component.....some plastic components can be but don't have to be milled.

Of course some parts can be 3D printed or milled, and for some parts it does not matter. Even this is obvious from every comment in this thread, that's not challenged by anybody. However... will 3D printers replace milling? The answer is a two letter word. It is easy to "predict" this future because we have 3D printers, we have CNC machines and we KNOW the difference between the results as well as the differences between additive and subtractive technologies. These are today not new technologies.

Who would have thought you could cast aluminium in a silicon rubber mold or make a radio receiver you could not see with the naked eye...….ANYTHING, given the progress of time, is a possibility.

Two hundred years ago, if you said in a public place that you could send a message a hundred miles away and get a reply within seconds you would have been either knighted or hanged for heresy.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a difference between something which is not invented yet and something which is readily available on the market. In case of 3D printers vs. CNC we can compare the two and KNOW what is the difference and what is possible and what is not. In case of the two hundred years old example... Bell was not even born 200 years ago so nobody could imagine it being possible to actually speak to people thousands of miles away in more or less real time, we had not even invented the telegraph 200 years ago (but Morse was already born, so things were looking good), all we had was smoke signals for long distance, simple communication. So there was no way of knowing due to lack of knowledge and experience in the filed.

BTW......if you don't think intelligent molecular growth can create a part, how does an embryo get to be a person......all it takes is to fathom out how to encode particles so that they take up a particular shape when activated...……...whew, beam me up somebody.
Ian.

Isn't it God's work...

Joke aside, I don't think you can compare the two. We are not talking about biology or cell division or molecular growth, or have we changed subject...?

"Beam me up" has still some serious issues, physical limitations. One is the speed of light... but once we overcome that I am ready for a trip.

[A_Camera]

Here is an exaple of metal printing. I really don't think it can be made simpler, smaller or in many ways different then here in this video.



Large machines for printing small parts. Yes, very useful and yes, it can do things no CNC machine can NOT do, at least not in one piece, but is it going to replace a CNC? No, never. Is it going to be every day machine, like a dishwasher or a television, or computer is in an ordinary modern home? No, never. Because the average Joe does NOT have use for it, nor the knowledge needed to operate or use it. But it is there and is cool, and would be fun to use and have one of my own. Will it change the future of humanity? No, I don't think so. Not the same way personal computers or cell phones did...

[mactec54]

Here is an exaple of metal printing. I really don't think it can be made simpler, smaller or in many ways different then here in this video.



Large machines for printing small parts. Yes, very useful and yes, it can do things no CNC machine can NOT do, at least not in one piece, but is it going to replace a CNC? No, never. Is it going to be every day machine, like a dishwasher or a television, or computer is in an ordinary modern home? No, never. Because the average Joe does NOT have use for it, nor the knowledge needed to operate or use it. But it is there and is cool, and would be fun to use and have one of my own. Will it change the future of humanity? No, I don't think so. Not the same way personal computers or cell phones did...

This is the same machine that is in the Video I post on here before, starting price is around $130,000.00 by the time you get all the other equipment needed for the process, this price includes the vacuum furnace all materials are extra, Hydrogen , Argon and other Gas Etc, so can't be compared as a commodity item like a dishwasher TV, although some TV have reached $ 20,000.00 it still can't be compared

There are some metal filament just the same as a plastic filament, but this process is not working that well yet, in time they will get this working and then the Hobby user would be able to do metal printing with his regular 3D plastic printer, it still won't be as good as a machined part, but will be able to produce shapes that are not easy to machine

[Khalid]

I don't know why I belive the man can and will conquer the metallurgy of any material... I am a believer.... May be you think i am a mad man..but , i believe so far whatever man thought he achieved.. This might be offtopic but i believe that many inventions that didn't come out due to the fact it harms the current business..the guys either given money or shot dead whatever.. Though i am a mechanical engineer and somehow believe the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy ..but whenever i read the PERPETUAL MACHINES are impossible then i think that it should not be thought in SCHOOL...this is because when your mind is seized you cant think out of the box...
I always think big..living in the same world and always connect the Past with Present and then interpolate the Future... May be i am wrong but i believe What the man imagined so far He made it possible... A decade back i never thought and it was almost impossible to think that Casette Recorder, VCR, Floppy disk, CDs will wiped off from the planet.. Just think what harm to the business to the investor in wiping off technology.. suppose today there is an alternative source of energy that can swip gasoline... (Though i believe scientists might have some advancements in this field but the big oil companies and investors just shut them down..may be...)...
I just went offtopic and sorry for my fractured english..but i always think that Impossible it self says I-M-Possible.... everything is possible.... (opened the can of worms)...

[mactec54]

I don't know why I belive the man can and will conquer the metallurgy of any material... I am a believer.... May be you think i am a mad man..but , i believe so far whatever man thought he achieved.. This might be offtopic but i believe that many inventions that didn't come out due to the fact it harms the current business..the guys either given money or shot dead whatever.. Though i am a mechanical engineer and somehow believe the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy ..but whenever i read the PERPETUAL MACHINES are impossible then i think that it should not be thought in SCHOOL...this is because when your mind is seized you cant think out of the box...
I always think big..living in the same world and always connect the Past with Present and then interpolate the Future... May be i am wrong but i believe What the man imagined so far He made it possible... A decade back i never thought and it was almost impossible to think that Casette Recorder, VCR, Floppy disk, CDs will wiped off from the planet.. Just think what harm to the business to the investor in wiping off technology.. suppose today there is an alternative source of energy that can swip gasoline... (Though i believe scientists might have some advancements in this field but the big oil companies and investors just shut them down..may be...)...
I just went offtopic and sorry for my fractured english..but i always think that Impossible it self says I-M-Possible.... everything is possible.... (opened the can of worms)...

Believers are good, and that is why there is progress, thinking outside of the box, is a good thing, but saying things like it would hurt a business if someone was to do that would hurt the energy big oil company's is ridiculous, if anything is feasible they would be the first to buy in and support it, not shut it down

Though i believe scientists might have some advancements in this field but the big oil companies and investors just shut them down.

Not true, you have been listening to many stories, of all these great inventions that seem to disappear, well they disappear for a reason, and not because of any big business shutting them down

[Goemon]

I don't think khalid was blowing his trumpet, veering off topic a bit maybe …...he was just contributing his progress for those that aren't aware of the potential of a 3D printer …..like myself...….. the printer, given the ideal situation, can run rings around a CNC machine, each at the moment do have their limitations but like all things with progress will only get better.

The question is ...are 3D components going to replace milling...….it depends on the application of the component.....some plastic components can be but don't have to be milled.

Who would have thought you could cast aluminium in a silicon rubber mold or make a radio receiver you could not see with the naked eye...….ANYTHING, given the progress of time, is a possibility.

Two hundred years ago, if you said in a public place that you could send a message a hundred miles away and get a reply within seconds you would have been either knighted or hanged for heresy.

BTW......if you don't think intelligent molecular growth can create a part, how does an embryo get to be a person......all it takes is to fathom out how to encode particles so that they take up a particular shape when activated...……...whew, beam me up somebody.
Ian.

Saying "it depends on the application" sounds about right to me, at least for now anyway. 3D metal printing is already replacing CNC milling and casting for some applications but.... as it strands today, there are some things that are better produced on a CNC mill and some that could only be 3d printed.

I think that the next logical stage will be the appearance of machines capable of milling and 3d printing as the trend is towards one click manufacturing. It makes sense to be able to do everything on one machine if the technology allows.

I also think that the metal recycling function can be adapted for use on both 3d printing and CNC milling machines. The idea of being able to reuse old (or spoiled) parts by converting them back to either milling blanks or 3d metal printing spool would have universal appeal.

The reason I think that 3d metal printing has the potential to surpass milling is their use of a laser to shape parts. It provides the opportunity for shaping with far finer detail that is possible with an end mill. Plus the a ability to form complex internal support structures in the wall of metal parts has limitless potential.

Either way, it will be interesting to watch. 3d metal printing is already a lot further along than I knew. The technology they are working on is really amazing. Still, we also shouldn't assume that milling technology will stand still while this happens. A lot of progress is being made in the high speed machining space...

[ger21]

It provides the opportunity for shaping with far finer detail that is possible with an end mill.

Cutter diameters as small as 0.002" - https://www.microcutusa.com/decimal2flute.php

Probably smaller than a laser is capable of.

[daniellyall]

I have seen one of the machines that use tiny end mill you need a high power camera to set up the endmill in a collet