I was surprised to see that I don’t seem to have ever put up a post about 3D printing, despite the variety of ways in which it’s interesting.
The Economist has recently printed a few articles:
- 3D printers start to build factories of the future
- 3D printing transforms the economics of manufacturing
- A better way to make drinks and drugs
I’ve done a little 3D printing myself, making one of Bathsheba’s free designs at the Toronto Reference Library. It would be great to be able to print in something more durable than the biodegradable plastic they offer.
3D print of Bathsheba’s Antichron
You can get the file online.
What amazes me is the use of 3D printing for medical technology; new hips, new skin for burn victims, even replacement skulls and facial bones for accident victims. The possibilities are endless and many materials are now being used. Just incredible.
New methods can 3D print high-strength aluminum alloys
3D Printing Introduction
BY SASHAILNYCKYJ
The University of Maine’s printer overcomes the problem of scale by suspending the printer’s business end—the nozzle that extrudes the ink—from a gantry. The ink is molten thermoplastic resin containing carbon fibres. Under the control of a computer the nozzle moves horizontally to build (as is true of any 3d-printing process) the desired object up layer by layer. After each layer is complete, the nozzle is raised slightly to deposit another on top of it until the object is finished.
And this can be done quickly. The Maine university printer is able to extrude material at a rate of 70kg (150lbs) an hour. At the moment it can make things up to 30 metres long, 7 metres wide and 3 metres high, but those dimensions could easily be increased by building a bigger gantry. The arm carrying the nozzle can also be fitted with processing equipment, such as an automated milling head to grind off any surface imperfections.
How do the latest 3D-printed, mostly-plastic ghost guns fare on the shooting range?
https://boingboing.net/2021/08/26/how-do-the-latest-3d-printed-mostly-plastic-ghost-guns-fare-on-the-shooting-range.html