This is too cool .. 3D copy machine

[Suzukidave]

http://www.wimp.com/functionaltools/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Suzsmokeyallan]

The thumb wheel does not look the same, I wonder why did they changed its design.

[Suzukidave]

It looks like the machine could copy design pretty close .. maybe so it would speed up the copy they made the design a bit more simple ?

[diamondj]

The thumb wheel changed and it looked like they altered the loop at the bottom of the wrench. At first I thought they must have assembled the wrench after printing the separate wrench parts (body, jaw, thumb wheel) but after watching it again, it looks as though it printed the separate parts together and accounted for the clearance tolerances they needed for it to work. I do believe they did more design work beyond just scanning the wrench as the changes to the thumb wheel and the hanging loop seem to suggest.

I've been seeing the 3-d printers for several years at annual trade shows in NYC for the packaging industry. Each year the machines get better and the parts get more complex. Bear in mind these are still resin parts and they would wear out pretty quickly. This is still more a rapid prototyping technology than a sci-fi "replicator" type of thing. It will let you physically look at a particular design to see if all the parameters work rather than making finished parts or tools. I guess it's a bit cheaper than cutting alloy or steel plate in a CNC and it keeps you from having costly rejects from poorly designed prototype parts.....

For all the stuff I've seen, the resin is rather brittle and won't hold up to too much abuse...

Jim

[tz375]

Nice clip Dave. Thanks.

Jay Leno had a video on a 3D printer a year or so ago that they used to replicate a part which could then be used to make the real replacement part out of metal. I's a model making or prototyping tool and it surely is amazing technology

[krwalsh]

So, as an undergrad at MIT, three or four of my friend worked in the 3DP, or 3D Printing Lab. The printer technology they worked on was licensed by Z-corp, the company in that video, and, 20 years later, has evolved into that.

To answer some of the questions, yes, the wrench was printed all at once. The moving parts are printed with a layer or two of powder in between and it allows a moving part when you're done. You can actually print metal parts by using a metal powder, and printing it with a binder. You can then bake out the binder and you're left with a powdered metal part.

As for making useful parts, probably not so much. You can print molds that are then used to cast parts, much like sand casting.

[diamondj]

As for making useful parts, probably not so much. You can print molds that are then used to cast parts, much like sand casting.

Seems to me this would be a good way of making parts to be used in "lost wax" type castings. You'd have to find a resin that would melt away like the wax would...

Jim

[keithwwalker]

The 'plastic' parts can be used to make a lost wax metal casting.

Much more costly is a laser sintering 3d machine which makes the parts out of titanium powder. No casting required.

Nice clip Dave. Thanks.

Jay Leno had a video on a 3D printer a year or so ago that they used to replicate a part which could then be used to make the real replacement part out of metal. I's a model making or prototyping tool and it surely is amazing technology