Need a new engine?/Mechanical porn

[P38]

You Boys n Girls should see a sintered aluminium rapid prototyper in action.

Makes the 5 axis machine center look like a blacksmith.

Check out it making some sort of chainmail

[pete376403]

Now we've moved on to sintering... (some) BMW car conrods are sintered, with almost no finishing machining required. The big end cap is snapped off rather than cut, so the join is a perfect match. I understand sintering to mean a metal powder is pressed into a mould. Any engineers here able to elaborate?

[sAsLEX]

Now we've moved on to sintering... (some) BMW car conrods are sintered, with almost no finishing machining required. The big end cap is snapped off rather than cut, so the join is a perfect match. I understand sintering to mean a metal powder is pressed into a mould. Any engineers here able to elaborate?

Rapid Prototyping use a laser to sinter the powder, the piece is made up layer by layer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_laser_sintering


Some cool art being made with them

http://www.bathsheba.com/sculpt/squares/

[P38]

Yeah laser is used to bond the aluminium oxides

Check out the 3D printing process.

18 minutes to print a fully functioning prototype bearing, Cost less than $2

Bloody Awsome Machines

[Timmay]

Cost of aluminium to make bearing $2.00
Cost to buy machine $1,000,000+

I have a 3D printer at work, 16 micron resolution, highest quality in NZ. Very cool machine. We have printed that chain mail too, and plastic motorbike chain, prints in one piece, no assembly needed.