1. TekScopes@groups.io

Re: 2465 Fan Collet Thingy

Tom Gardner
 

Yes and no!

Yes: you can get solid brass 3D printed items; I have one such sign outside my front door. 3D printed gold, silver and platinum is also commercially important - in the jewellery trade.

No: the printed medium is wax, and the brass item is manufactured by the age-old lost wax casting technique.

I'm sure there are many suppliers available, but one is https://www.shapeways.com/materials/brass
Ditto https://www.shapeways.com/materials which shows bronze, gold, silver, platinum.

Their aluminium is made with selective laser sintering, and I've seen titanium used that way.

You can also get 3D printed paper. When combined with an inkjet printer, it enables architects' models to be produced for display in showrooms etc.

And there are other materials, e.g. ceramic.

Additive manufacturing is undergoing a "pre-cambian explosion", much a microprocessors did between 1975 and 1990.

On 10/11/19 14:22, Chuck Harris wrote:
Hi Tom,

Ahh! My fervent wish is to be able to 3D print brass, aluminum,
or steel... But alas, that won't be for a while.

What I see that says it is 3D printed brass, or aluminum, is in
actuality a slurry of brass flakes, or aluminum flakes, and some
organic (plastic) meltable binder. The brass or aluminum comes
to the surface in a way that makes it appear to be brass or aluminum,
but the strength is all plastic.

I read an article of a M1911A2 being entirely printed in steel, but
I never heard how they did that, only that they would happily sell
you one of their printed guns for $30K.... To help fund research,
of course.

I suppose something like a mig welder controlled by a 3D mechanism
would do something... but it would be brutally inefficient.

-Chuck Harris

Tom Gardner wrote:
I've no doubt you are correct.

When I stated "parts could be manufactured in brass or aluminium", I was thinking of
3D printing them. It would have helped if I had been more precise.

Sorry for the confusion.



On 10/11/19 13:20, Chuck Harris wrote:
I had several collets made from the Tom Jobe, etal prints that
are in the file section of this group, and they were made from
a single piece of brass rod... threaded section and all. They
worked perfectly.
Join TekScopes@groups.io to automatically receive all group messages.