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3d printing

3d printing

3d printing

(OP)
I assume everyone gets the same SWx spam emails I do... I got the one today for the 3d printing. Anyone here actually use it?  Still seems like more a novelty than anything as near as I can tell.... maybe I just lack vision...

RE: 3d printing

I have looked at it and have had them come in with a demo. It is very cool, but it is hard to convince management to buy in. Most mngmt do not understand technology, they just see $30,000.00 for a 3D printer and they are not interested.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: 3d printing

(OP)
Yeah... I mean I'm in a pretty lo-tech industry now (quite the departure from aerospace). It's hard to justify fancy new toys like that.  Solidworks was even a stretch. But in the last year since we/I have been modeling stuff, we've increased our efficiency immensely... I was really nice stepping into 1994.....

RE: 3d printing

I get no SWX spam--maybe I do, but Thunderbird filters well.

I use that sort of technology all the time, but I'm an industrial designer.  There are a few varieties of "3D Printing", however, each with its pros and cons.  I was pleased to try Z-Corp on a recent projects with pre-colored, inexpensive parts that fit together and really helped sell a design to execs.  It was also a fast turn-around.  You really never know what the design of a given product will look like until you're looking at it in true 3D (scale, shadows, highlights, proportion to people, etc.).

This isn't something I'd consider buying for myself, since I use such a wide variety of technologies for specific needs.  I'd need over a million dollars worth of equipment (not to mention the supplies) to get what I pay local vendors to produce on a regular basis.


Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

RE: 3d printing

(OP)
For us everything is just steel plate and tubing painted black. It's all for railroads. No need to impress with fancy colours and stuff. It would be fun to play with...

Back when I was at Pratt and Whitney, (1996 or so) they had just gotten on the rapid-prototype bandwagon and were doing stuff with stereolithography. I had a few little parts made. It was fun working for a place with deep pockets!

RE: 3d printing

About a year ago I purchased a Dimension 3-D FDM machine.  Works off of STL files.  The machine has been great for what I do which is design and build mechanisms and industrial design type stuff.

I have the machine right next to my computer and it's very easy to download a file to it and have the machine make the part.

The pro's of the machine I have is the material used is ABS which means the parts are strong and not brittle like SLA output.  The downside is the finished product does have a step texture due to the process... and so the finish is not real smooth, which is one of the definite advantages of SLA.... which gives a fairly smooth finish (or the new Objet machines which produce a very smooth finish).

The machine has been a nice addition to the other machinery I have for developing prototypes....and overall, I've been very happy it.

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