OMG!! This new technology is HYPE!!!! 3D Printer...you can make anything you want!!!

[mAdD INDIAN]

New Scientist: Whatever You Want

This is a breakthrough. It's basically a 3D-printer that can fabricate objects. The US Army uses it on their trucks when they are out in the battlefield. If some part in the truck breaks, the 3D-printer will simply make a new one by downloading the schematics from the US-Army via satellite link.

I think Ford should have this machine in their cars...simply have a database that has the schematics for most of the parts and hook it up to the 3D-printer in the trunk..hehe..

 

[raptor13]

Ummm... where do the raw materials come from? I find it hard to believe that a "printer" can take a hunk of aluminum and mold it into an axle. Something about having to smelt, build, and cool it just doesn't seem right with the "printing" process described.


And the Army is not already using this thing. They want to, but the whole things seems rather implausible to me...

 

[DarK SagE]

woa star treck man.

 

[piku]

I dont think its THAT advanced.

Say I want the printer to make a TV: its going to create the circuitry, make glass, and everything else that goes with it? I HIGHLY doubt that.

The most they are going to be able to do is make solid plastic (or metal or whatever) object that looks like what you want. So instead of a real TV I would get a solid brick that looks like a TV.

But it would be perfect to solid items though.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Right now, it can only make parts that are of the same material. And I don't think it can make parts as big as an axle.

In the article it did say that NASA and the US Army were using it. I cannot confirm nor deny the validity of that statement. [oh my..that sounded professional!]

Raptor13: In case of the US-Army, the printer is equipped with a canister that contains metal powder (which is used as the material).

 

[Redwingsguy]

I think its just a shape but made of powder

 

[Angrymarshmello]

<< The US Army is developing ways to print out vehicle parts from a truck-mounted 3D printer, so stranded drivers can pick up vehicle parts made on the spot >>



The Army is helping to develop the technology - its not in wide spread use *yet*

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

RagingBITCH: My bad..I didn't notice the &quot;developing&quot; word.

 

[kranky]

The article didn't make it very clear (unless I missed it), but this has been in use in the Computer-Aided Design industry for a couple years already. I've always seen it called &quot;stereolithography&quot;. Like it says, you get a plastic model that is built using very thin layers, made from analyzing the 3D CAD model. The edges are a little wavy, but it is good enough to use for testing how parts fit together.

As you can imagine, the only parts you can make are things that would still be usable if you sliced them into very, very thin layers then merged the layers back together.

 

[Killbat]

Righty-O, kranky. This has been around forever. It's really only useful for mock-ups and such. mAdD, how could the army use this in the field? It takes AGES to make a model with these things.

 

[ApacheXMD]

saw something on tv a few year ago.
there's a big vat of plastic goo stuff, and a laser is focused on a point within the tank. where the laser hits, the goo solidifies. you can make whatever you want, by controlling where the laser hits.
worked pretty well too.. at least on tv

-patchy

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Killbait: That's what I thought, it would take days to fabricate something. But you never know, the Army could have some accelerated way of fabricating...

Still regardless of who uses it or how long it takes, its pretty neat. I was unaware that this was used before. I like the application of it fabricating toys for children. We won't get in anymore fights or rushes at the mall if we can't find the Elmo doll we want.

Also can you imagine people pirating the plans for the dolls?? So instead of paying Mattel to download their plan for the doll, warez groups would pirate it accros the net? hehe..the value of dolls would go down!

 

[Ruark]

ApacheXMD's got it right. The metal powder would likely be solidified in a similar fashion.