3D printers and our hobby

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 8:44 pm

Looks like the day is coming when modified rapid prototype technology (used in '3 dimensional printers') will be affordable enough to greatly influence our hobby and the toy/modelling world in general.

According to a BBC article i read the day is coming when they are affordable enough to be in everyone's home. So if you need to field some extra troops or need a new Pershing to take out a Tiger you can just run to your 3D printer and crank 'em out.

They're still pretty costly (starting at $30,000) but with the way the price of technology drops i'd say in about 10 years they'll be affordable enough for the serious hobbiest to buy. In the meantime, cottage industry type operations will be able to consider buying one to crank out limited demand models. The beauty is they only need to make exactly the number they have orders for and because all designs are stored digitally they can have a huge inventory of models to choose from.

The major drawback is that they would be more for static display models as articulation and moving parts would be very limited.

Still one can envision the day where these things become similar to Star Trek replicators to a degree...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3126625.stm

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:09 pm

I've heard of such things. Aparently, at my old Junior College in Fresno, the architecture and design department had something whereby you entered the specs into a computer and then the machine produced a 3D model of it. I forget what the material used for the model was exactly. I know it wasn't resin or rubber.

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Tue Feb 01, 2005 10:33 pm

This machines are too fun. My company has several of them, and the material depends on the machine. You can actually get machines that use a rubber material and make fully functional bellows and such. The most common I've come across is a resin based system using SLA (stereo lithography). A laser passes over the resin bath, and cures a layer of the part. The problem is the final part is very brittle. I've had models made that I then painted get broke the first time someone touches them. Another process is SLS (laser sintering). Our machine uses a white powder to make the part. These are great. The powder make a very durable, flexible plastic part, and it allows you to create very intricate gearing that you couldn't build otherwise. This same machine can build metal parts using a different powder, but this is a nasty part, and the metal matrix you end up with has very poor material properties compared to a machined metal part.

From a real-world perspective, these things are lifesavers. I've made a ton of parts for everything from show-and-tells to taking hardware we've designed and testing it on real assemblies. If I ever win the lottery, I'll be blowing some money on these. To give an idea of cost, I grew a part about two feet tall, 1 foot diameter that had walls only .015" thick. Took up about $5K of material. They still ain't cheap.

Post by **aferguson** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 6:27 am

yike yike yike

75th Ranger · Post by **75th Ranger** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 9:51 am

it is a good idea, just give it some time..and we will all be making diorama accessories at home...hahahhahaa!
take care,
HOOAH!

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:57 pm

Not to mention our own vehicles someday!

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Wed Feb 02, 2005 11:43 pm

Holy cow 5K! that really put things in perspective! At that rate its going to take more than 10 years for it to even be considered for in-home private use. I also have heard about these and there is an Industrial Design company here that I know has one. I just didn't know how much the material was! ouch!

Thrud · Post by **Thrud** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 4:05 am

there is a Co out there that does this for people like us.

http://www.toybuilders.com/

check them out, prices seem reasonable.

and here is a review from a customer.
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/projects/soft2hard.htm

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Sat Feb 05, 2005 3:08 pm

Very cool to see someone out there pursuing a business like this. That's what will eventually drive the cost down. I would love to see their price list.

One thing to watch for is the resin they are using for the SLA (and the machine) are the ones I've worked with before. It was excellent detail resolution. But, if anyone here goes to have something made, be very careful with thin walls and if you plan on handling the model that often. As I mentioned before, it is VERY brittle. Avoid thin walls and very small details. On the other hand, it paints very well and isn't too bad to machine. Some of our models have been painted with silver spray paint for BBQs, and these end up looking really nice.