LocoMacross Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 With all this talking about recasting special models it came to my attention something truly different there is some companies that offers 3D printing here is an excerpt from roundstonedigital.com about 3d printing technology WHAT IS 3D PRINTING? Three-dimensional printing technology is used to build physical models from sketches, blueprints, 3D scans, CAD Files and many other formats. Using a computer and proper software, a 3D mesh is created to represent the object to be printed. This mesh data is then sent as many thin horizontal slices to the printer, which interprets the data and joins together liquid and powder materials to form complex parts layer by layer. Three-dimensional printing is the least expensive rapid prototyping process, which turns the 3D data into a physical model for conceptual evaluation. Where an ordinary printer lays down a single layer of ink on a single sheet of paper, these printers add the extra dimension by printing layer after layer in a vat of starch or plaster until you have a physical model identical that accurately reflects the original design. Parts with a wide variety of sizes, strengths, flexibility and surface finish can be produced with this method. Please visit our gallery for some examples. My point is right now 3d printing machines are very, VERY expensive, but HP has announce a home model by the end of this year ($10,000 USD), they aspire to print from models to anything that needs replacement parts in your house, It's some kind of liquid plastic, can you believe the posibilities on developing your own models or replace parts to improve your own models not to mention increase the scale, if you own a 1/72 VF-22 with the proper scale you can reprint a largr version, I mean the posibilities are endless Quote
Myersjessee Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 IIve seen demos of this...it would be very very cool for the hobby if they ever got cheap enough... Quote
Neova Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 That sounds like one of those CAM machines. With a 3D Digitizer, we can "recast" all of the models / toys / parts etc... we want with near perfect replication! Sounds like a good and bad idea at the same time for the industry. Quote
LocoMacross Posted March 30, 2004 Author Posted March 30, 2004 Almost the same thing happen to the color industries in the past only big corporations could afford color printing, this days it's just a common thing, who knows Hasegawa might have better business on selling the model on a CD for you to print it at home, THINK ABOUT THAT, today your desktop PC can handle 3D rendering like nothing, almost every computer have powerful video cards capable of renderize these images on real time, I think this printers will create a whole new kind of business Quote
captain america Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I've seen these 3D printers firsthand, as well as handled "print" samples. The powder that the machine "lays up" needs to be coated with a sealant to protect it, or it'll deteriorate very easily... And even then it deteriorates with age and even the finest powder/resolution is very granular at best. Basically, it's a cheap-crap twist on stereolithography, but without the precision... All for the low-low price of roughly $26 000 plus materials, training & maintenance; courtesy of Z Corporation. Good advice of the day: you can put every fancy twist you want on rapid-prototyping, and though there are indeed purposes for producing prototypes this way ( aerospace and F1 spring to mind) you can still get better prototypes and models done by hand which are as precise as they need to be, and for faster, cheaper and better than anything that comes out of those push-button "part-O-matic" printers. Remember, technology is just a tool, no different than an airbrush, or modelling board. I would caution those who believe that they will get instant Garage Kits galore simply by purchasing/getting access to one of these machines... Technology isn't a replacement for talent. Want custom models that kit manufacturers won't produce? Learn to sculpt, it's that simple. Quote
Myersjessee Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Captain...HP is bragging about a new one that is supposed to fix some of the problems...and cut the price way down...the salesman bragged "someday when you need a part for your washer/dryer youll just pay online, download, and print it! " Sure...he's a salesman...and they are a long way away...but it's cool to think on! Quote
captain america Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 (edited) Hi Jesse. The fact that you heard all this from an HP salesman makes me all the more skeptical: I've owned NUMEROUS HP products in the past, and as a result, they are effectively on my " never buy anything from them EVER again" list; these guys couldn't clean fresh puke off a teflon-coated linoleum floor Hewlett Packard produces garbage, plain and simple. Though I've no doubt that they will succeed in making the 3-d printing technology package cheap, it will also be garbage... Company policy obliges continuity. Besides that, how's your back holding-up these days? Edited March 30, 2004 by captain america Quote
Myersjessee Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 LOL....you win...back is tight...but getting better...ill be back to work tomorrow... Quote
gnollman Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 (edited) I work for a printer company, and I just have this to say... don't believe the hype on this 3D stuff. It's not going to have anything near practical applications for a few years yet. That's about all I can say. Never know where the confidentiality police are snooping... Edited March 30, 2004 by gnollman Quote
Grayson72 Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I've seen these 3D printers firsthand, as well as handled "print" samples.The powder that the machine "lays up" needs to be coated with a sealant to protect it, or it'll deteriorate very easily... And even then it deteriorates with age and even the finest powder/resolution is very granular at best. Basically, it's a cheap-crap twist on stereolithography, but without the precision... All for the low-low price of roughly $26 000 plus materials, training & maintenance; courtesy of Z Corporation. Good advice of the day: you can put every fancy twist you want on rapid-prototyping, and though there are indeed purposes for producing prototypes this way ( aerospace and F1 spring to mind) you can still get better prototypes and models done by hand which are as precise as they need to be, and for faster, cheaper and better than anything that comes out of those push-button "part-O-matic" printers. Remember, technology is just a tool, no different than an airbrush, or modelling board. I would caution those who believe that they will get instant Garage Kits galore simply by purchasing/getting access to one of these machines... Technology isn't a replacement for talent. Want custom models that kit manufacturers won't produce? Learn to sculpt, it's that simple. Not sure what "powder" you're referring to. The machines I've seen use an ultra violet light laser to produce a kind of plastic 3d model from a fluid. Quote
Greyryder Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 There a few different types of 3D printers. Some use a combination of powder and adhesive (plaster or plastic) and some use a laser to solidify liquid plastic. I believe there are one or two other setups, as well. It's sort of like the different types of regular printers. (laser, ink jet, dot matrix, etc...) A while back I ran across a page that listed the different types of 3D printers, and the strenghts and weaknesses of each. I never saved the link, though. Quote
Southcross Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Hi Jesse.The fact that you heard all this from an HP salesman makes me all the more skeptical: I've owned NUMEROUS HP products in the past, and as a result, they are effectively on my " never buy anything from them EVER again" list; these guys couldn't clean fresh puke off a teflon-coated linoleum floor Hewlett Packard produces garbage, plain and simple. Though I've no doubt that they will succeed in making the 3-d printing technology package cheap, it will also be garbage... Company policy obliges continuity. Besides that, how's your back holding-up these days? While I don't share your opinion about "HP" products... I have my own peaves about products made by Xerox, and a few other companies. I do find this idea of a "prototyping" printer interesting.... theoretically you cold make your parts on this printer, and if they are "stable" enough make a mold of the parts... Resin Model making would go extreme! If you can draw it/design it... you could make a model of it. Quote
Ghadrack Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 It's emerging technology. This first generation stuff, while an exciting prospect is not going to revolutionize our lives. People are already going on about how this is "Replicator" technology right out of Star Trek, and how soon we won't have to go to the grocery store, we will just have to reload our protein and polysaccharide cartiges.. blah blah blah. The concept and the potential of the technology is great, but it has a significant way to go before it becomes practical. The idea that someday you may be able to "Print" out new gaskets for your washing machine or replace a 1/48 back-pack hinge by hitting the print button is pretty cool, but realistically the liklihood that we will see this technology proliferated anytime in the near future is slim. The government will not like the idea of this. Quote
captain america Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Hi Jesse.The fact that you heard all this from an HP salesman makes me all the more skeptical: I've owned NUMEROUS HP products in the past, and as a result, they are effectively on my " never buy anything from them EVER again" list; these guys couldn't clean fresh puke off a teflon-coated linoleum floor Hewlett Packard produces garbage, plain and simple. Though I've no doubt that they will succeed in making the 3-d printing technology package cheap, it will also be garbage... Company policy obliges continuity. Besides that, how's your back holding-up these days? While I don't share your opinion about "HP" products... I have my own peaves about products made by Xerox, and a few other companies. I do find this idea of a "prototyping" printer interesting.... theoretically you cold make your parts on this printer, and if they are "stable" enough make a mold of the parts... Resin Model making would go extreme! If you can draw it/design it... you could make a model of it. There is one place here in montreal that offers stereolithography services on a contract basis. The service costs $100/hour( the cheapest I've found, by the way), and this doesn't include the cost of designing the part on the computer. The thing is, whether you have a very simple, or a very complex part, the machine works at the same pace, and the average "print" time for a given component is 20-40 hours. I know that Bandai employs this technology on the MG and PG line of models... The only way they can achieve such precise, complex parts. Mind you, Gundam is hugely popular and the enormous capital investment can be offset over the sales of hundreds of thousands ( perhaps even millions) of models. However, even with this technology, I doubt Bandai ( or anyone else ) would like average joes downloading and printing their own parts at home; it just makes counterfitting & theft potential too great. Quote
cobywan Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 I've seen rapid proto tests of MG models in Hobby Japan. They are usually very rough. And I have seen footage of Bandai cutting molds with CNC mills that are quite tight. I got the impression they were cutting Aluminum because of the light tone of the metal and the ease with which a tiny bit was plowing through the material. STL parts all have a stair step pattern in them that needs to be removed before you can mold and cast them. The CNC work I intend to do is solely for the basic forms that will be used to create vaccum formed skins to super detail. There are limits in what a machine can do in a given amount of time. Quote
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