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  1. #21
    Member Khalid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Only couple of years required and CNC will be no more other than an expensive option with a waste of material.

    http://free3dscans.blogspot.com/ http://my-woodcarving.blogspot.com/
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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    the hobbyist level starting at around $100,000.00 for a complete setup,
    Um.

    Cheers
    Roger
    Actually it closer to $140,000.00 US Dollars, once you get everything that is needed for the process, this is around the cheapest startup that a Hobbyist could expect to pay to get into this, it's like a water Jet how many Hobby shops have one, the same thing applies, that is why I posted that video, they are offering the cheapest startup for this process

    Mactec54


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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by handlewanker View Post
    Wow...….100,000 smackeroos……….gotta have a couple of those......LOL, only kidding. one would be enough.....my investment councillor would no doubt think otherwise.

    As the technology stands today, I doubt whether anyone with hobby interests would want to indulge in a machine dedicated to produce parts specifically for an industrial situation.

    Hobby work is all about making it DIY with acquired skills etc...….the moment you start to press a green button, walk away and come back a couple of hors later for the finished part, then you have lost the plot completely...….if you're in business then that is another story.

    3D printing may be the latest flavour of the month, but for a metal part solution I think it's way up in the stars like Star Trek.

    If you really, really must have a single part that is not or cannot be totally machined from a solid block or requires little subsequent machining, it would be simpler to carve it out of some wax, either by hand or with a CNC machine,.....or even a 3D printer if you have one, and make an investment casting from it...…...that is so simple.

    Eventually, in the very fullness of time, anything you can think of will become a reality.
    Ian.
    There are other ways to get one off complicated metal parts with out the expense, of patterns or molds, with a regular 3D printer that you can buy anywhere or build, for under 500 Dollars, you can print a wax pattern of your part, ( this is what many are doing ) and have it investment cast, this is very cost effective, and you get 100% metal of your choice, so there are simple choices to end up with a cast in metal one off parts

    Mactec54


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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Nope, I disagree, 3D printers will compliment CNC for a while, same as ink complimented printing once the block setting of type was invented to overcome the tedious hand writing of books in the early middle ages...…….it still uses ink to make the print readable, just the application changed.….now we have electronically activated screens to make the print legible...…..no ink.

    It' s quite possible that Man will one day walk on the nearest star, but not in my time...…..3D printers may just be the stepping stone to the next process...….anyone like to have a guess?

    There was a science fiction book I once read that had a special machine that encoded molecules with a code that made them align in a special pattern to form an object...…………wow, that is more than rocket science...….if you can imagine it, someone will make it.

    The whole methofdology of CNC is tied to the computer...….once they invent or imagine a different way to do computinjg the CNC machine and 3D printers will have to evolve along with it.

    Who thinks Microsoft will live forever......the next generation might not be computer orientated and keyboards and a mouse are only necessary because Humans have fingers.
    Ian.



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by handlewanker View Post
    Wow...….100,000 smackeroos……….gotta have a couple of those......LOL, only kidding. one would be enough.....my investment councillor would no doubt think otherwise.

    As the technology stands today, I doubt whether anyone with hobby interests would want to indulge in a machine dedicated to produce parts specifically for an industrial situation.

    Hobby work is all about making it DIY with acquired skills etc...….the moment you start to press a green button, walk away and come back a couple of hors later for the finished part, then you have lost the plot completely...….if you're in business then that is another story.

    3D printing may be the latest flavour of the month, but for a metal part solution I think it's way up in the stars like Star Trek.

    If you really, really must have a single part that is not or cannot be totally machined from a solid block or requires little subsequent machining, it would be simpler to carve it out of some wax, either by hand or with a CNC machine,.....or even a 3D printer if you have one, and make an investment casting from it...…...that is so simple.

    Eventually, in the very fullness of time, anything you can think of will become a reality.
    Ian.
    There is no doubt that they are currently out of reach for hobby users (as regular 3D printers were when they first came out). Eventually you'll be able to 3D print aluminum on a $500 eBay machine but I suspect that the first hobby level machines will be diy builds.

    The hard part is melting the aluminum spool. The thing that gave me some hope (for a hobby-level machine) was that the machine I saw used a 5.6kw laser. I have no idea how expensive or hard to find 5.6kw lasers are currently but it's well within the range of what you can power at home.

    I think it will take less less time for metal printers to appear on desktops than it did for regular 3D printers to come down in price. That's just a guess though. In theory, it's not really new technology. It's just a new substrate for existing technology.



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    I have seen some beautiful hip replacement parts made by 3D metal printing.


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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    When I really think about it...….who would want to get into that type of work even for a hobby...…..there is no hands on DIY input that could remotely be called a hobby machine.

    The only part you would be playing would be to push the start button and wait until the fat lady sings......that would be as interesting as planting potatoes and waiting for the green sprouts to poke above ground...…..you play the least bit in that chain of events.

    That is not to say it wouldn't be interesting to make something with that set-up, but personally I draw the line at total machine control...….CNC is bad enough when all you can do is run a 2 hour program and wait for the part to finish......that is not hobby work, it's when you just want a quick solution for a part for whatever.

    By that reckoning, 3D printing for metals will not be the Holy Grail that satisfies the needs, it's just a means to an end.....this is the same as take away fast food or eating out.

    If you were in business and had to make full blown metal parts with that technology, by the time It was in your court everyone and his dog would be doing it that way and the rat race to make it cheaper would be on again.....beam me up Scotty.
    Ian.



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    You use the sitting around time to do the next Gcode and designing for the next part or goto the pub It's called lights out machining you get the machine to send a text when it is finished

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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Only couple of years required and CNC will be no more other than an expensive option with a waste of material.
    Hilarious mirth ensues.

    Have you seen the timings needed for 3D printing? It can take days to print something I could machine in an hour.

    Cheers
    Roger



  10. #30

    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by Khalid View Post
    Only couple of years required and CNC will be no more other than an expensive option with a waste of material.
    How exactly is 3d printing controlled? Via some other control? Manual?



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by handlewanker View Post
    When I really think about it...….who would want to get into that type of work even for a hobby...…..there is no hands on DIY input that could remotely be called a hobby machine.

    The only part you would be playing would be to push the start button and wait until the fat lady sings......that would be as interesting as planting potatoes and waiting for the green sprouts to poke above ground...…..you play the least bit in that chain of events.

    That is not to say it wouldn't be interesting to make something with that set-up, but personally I draw the line at total machine control...….CNC is bad enough when all you can do is run a 2 hour program and wait for the part to finish......that is not hobby work, it's when you just want a quick solution for a part for whatever.

    By that reckoning, 3D printing for metals will not be the Holy Grail that satisfies the needs, it's just a means to an end.....this is the same as take away fast food or eating out.

    If you were in business and had to make full blown metal parts with that technology, by the time It was in your court everyone and his dog would be doing it that way and the rat race to make it cheaper would be on again.....beam me up Scotty.
    Ian.
    I am not sure I can see the difference in this respect. The level of user involvement with 3D printing (in any material) is about the same as with CNC machining (except for some tool changes if you don't have ATC).

    Obviously, if you are into art or sculpture and you enjoy hand carving something then any type of CNC or 3D printing process is not the way to go. For someone who doesn't enjoy (or is not good at) manual carving, then both CNC and 3D printing allows people to make custom parts for their other hobbies.

    For example, I plan to use my CNC machine to make myself some custom rifle stocks and aluminum chassis systems.
    I like the idea that one day I might be able to just download a cad file and then print an aluminum chassis. The potential applications for hobby use are endless.



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    The potential applications for hobby use are endless.
    And the wait for the 3D printing job to finish will also be endless.

    I can see 3D printing something 20 mm x 20 mm x 20 mm in metal in a reasonable time.
    I can't see 3D printing something 2 m x 2 m x 2 m in metal any time I want to wait.

    Cheers
    Roger



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Hilarious mirth ensues.

    Have you seen the timings needed for 3D printing? It can take days to print something I could machine in an hour.

    Cheers
    Roger
    Then there are parts you could never fixture or machine yet the printer could do it quite well.


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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Yes, there are parts that are difficult to fixture. Is this a fault of the fixture or of the design?
    There is a thing called 'design for manufacture'. Sadly, too many young kids seem to have never heard of it. They may be wizzes with the CAD on a screen, but they seem to have very little 'engineering' in them.

    Cheers
    Roger



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Quote Originally Posted by RCaffin View Post
    Hilarious mirth ensues.

    Have you seen the timings needed for 3D printing? It can take days to print something I could machine in an hour.

    Cheers
    Roger
    Roger,
    Don't u witness 3D printing farms on youtube? where 100s of printers making parts.... IMHO, it all depends upon the complexity of part... 3D printers are more viable for the 3D complex parts with hard to reach contours, holes etc.

    http://free3dscans.blogspot.com/ http://my-woodcarving.blogspot.com/
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  16. #36

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    in fact initial the 3D technology is used on plastic printing.
    Several month ago i printed 2 samples for my German clients.
    They want to buy foam products,this items' samples cannot be made by foam without mould.
    So i printed with resin.It's very convenient and amazing.



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Don't u witness 3D printing farms on youtube?
    What - waste hours of my time watching inept amateur videos on YouTube?
    You have GOT to be kidding! I have a lot better things to do with my life.

    where 100s of printers making parts....
    And the relevance of 100s of 3D printers to the hobbyist?
    And have you had a CLOSE look at the results from the cheap machines? Blobs, little more than blobs.
    I machine close to 0.01 mm as a hobbyist. You are lucky to get 0.5 mm from a cheap 3D printer.

    Prototyping on a commercial basis - been there, done that. That is not a hobby.

    Cheers
    Roger



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    Hi guys and girls I came up with a great market invested a lot of time research built a website gained global orders but then it all went wrong..

    RC Car and Truck rare and retro bodies 1/0 in size .07mm in vacuum formed plastic are a global hit among hobbyist
    so I suppose naively bought a few altered them to my liking firbreglassed them to make them hard bought a vacuum former BUT the vacuum former was far to small a CR Clare 725 the detail on the model was weak and it all fell apart. a non starter..

    I need 1/10 car software or camera then need to be able to reproduce a hard body to either try to vacuum form again or a piece of kit I can have milled into plastic bodies example 1/10 land rover defender body 260mm wheelbase in white ready for the hobbyist to cut out windows e paint if they like etc... the big reason for me to continue is my son of 17 a twin passed in a fire 3 days before xmass and he helped me so I need this project to work sorry to sound so confused I know what sells just unsure how to make or get made thanks all james



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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    Roger it is funny reading what the young guys say about all of it some do not even realise it is a cnc controlled machine and yes design for manufacture is something they all realise they need to learn in the end, for prototyping it is dirt cheap.

    A lot of disabled products are made with them for the custom one of bits or continuously available on demand, I get carbon fiber parts done at 1 to 5% the cost of getting it done from carbon fiber solid model in the US, they are parts that could be made on a 5 axis machine in 2 ops and be made 90% faster and cost a **** load more.

    <img src="https://ivxo1q-dm2305.files.1drv.com/y4mENMmTr_Cabc7pR0FUdB6gtbADq2JbuG4_rGy0eBQvLJx19pTi6TqMUIJN0xgOyDIc0gWoxYhS38HpbSTFGdfaK-o42IOU6jczrhDpfpCOTNGL1X6hvZCbgj0y35gqmq1YGTrWwShYGV-C7lXA2esy0Pi_WfnBSyroDLSGXwce4uSr1U7op7srdi78rispHCa_K4aFlTlJPVkkNWMfgh_Tg?width=60&height=60&cropmode=none" width="60" height="60" />

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  20. #40
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    Default Re: Are 3D printed metal components going to replace milling?

    The whole point of having a CNC machine....lathe, mill or 3D printer, whatever......is to make parts to your liking...…...that could be for a commercial enterprise where you have to make it cheaper,quicker if not better than the competition so that means an investment for the next very best machine you can afford......being an also ran does not make money.

    Hobby work is a totally different ball game...…..setting up to make a part can take hours of "fun and games" until you get it right, and even then the results may not be 100% perfect, which means you don't mind reworking the part or doing it over and over again...…..selling such products to a customer is not even a remote possibility...….hobby work with cheap equipment can get your toe in the door and make you a small achiever for what it's worth.

    I think the whole idea of getting away from the hand worked item that Dad used to make on a manual machine is the aim of most hobbyists today, mainly because Dad was a skilled tradesman from the old school and that is how he did it.....the skill is now in the machine and you are just the caretaker.

    I'm a caretaker too, in that respect, as I have a CNC mill that I only have to tool up and write some code to make it perform.....to the best of it's ability as the builder of the machine endowed it...……. the difference is I like watching the wheels go round as it's a new technology for me …..what eventually comes out when the action stops is not my wow factor as I could make the same part on a manual machine.

    It will be many many Moons before the 3D printer itself makes metal parts that require no subsequent work to finish it......but it could be a reality given the present progress rate in technology, just don't hold your breath waiting for it to occur.
    Ian.



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Are 3D printed metal components  going to replace milling?

Are 3D printed metal components  going to replace milling?