Santa Claus machine
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A couple friends of mine found that and were thinking about going for it. However, I don't think syringe tool is going to render any great parts... notice how flimsy looking the "output" is.
There's another fabber project: http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome
This one seems to have a much better business end, with something that could make real plastic parts. Seems kind of difficult to exactly meter out tiny doses of heated plastic while still keeping a simple and affordable design.
So RepRap has the extruder head to use, and Fab@home has a nicely laid out machine, including parts list and some plans (basically, give Tap plastics the design and some $$$ to get the custom frame parts.)
So I asked my friends why this is better than a material removal machine. They thought it was too limited. I think not making things out of almost any material is kind of limited.
Might be better off buying a mini-mill and making an extruder that fits in an R8, then you can have both for nearly the same price.
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So I asked my friends why this is better than a material removal machine.Free software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
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I am surprised why someone has not came up with a electrochemical etchant system too.
Applies resist and cures, then acid etchant in a thick gel, then flushes.
Chemical assisted machining.
The old smiths of a few years back had this laser etched engraving, it applied a resist, then laser etched-cured it, then acid dipped to remove materiel.. I think they went to a full laser engraving after they "normally" became powerful enough in the industrial market. The pistols were so gaudy. Pretty, like a Orange county chopper, but useless.Last edited by Dawai; 02-08-2007, 09:07 AM.Excuse me, I farted.
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Chemical machining has been around for a long time David. When I worked at Northwest Industries (1970s) we made wing panels for Hawker-Sidley. The panels were masked and then etched on the inside to reduce skin thickness in selected areas.Free software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
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Originally posted by EvanI'm suprised they didn't mention the single greatest advantage of additive "machining". It can make parts that cannot be made by subtractive processes. For instance, a solid with precisely controlled voids in it. In principle it can make any shape that a subtractive process can make plus all the shapes that subtractive processes cannot.
I would hate to have to program one because you have to stay within all the parimeters of keeping the tip traveling at the perfect speed around corners and double travels and the like or you end up with a puddle or material that doesnt bond to the other material its being layed onto, that being said they are amazing --- think of honeycomb structures with odd outside shapes and skins on the entire surfaces --- very strong and little waste,
My friend went to a machine show and they had one there, he brought back this piece that it made --- said it took about 20 minutes to make it but it was very intricate and even had a plastic type spring mechanizm in it, it started with nothing but a sheet of wax paper....
I dont believe they are pracitcal for most aplications right now, but they already have thier nich because they can do things that nothing else can...
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Forgot to mention also, think about Multi-functionalble pieces all in one structure, you could program to build pieces that are only linked together by little plastic "dabs", you get the structure after the machine is done making it and work the pieces so they snap the "guide links" and walla, now you have a part thats being held by another part that cannot physically be removed but pivots internally on a shaft inside...
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As opposed to me taking a block of wax, dental instruments and a candle for heat, carving for a week, attaching sprues and vents, dipping it into investment, then dunking it into a flask and pouring around it, vacuuming. Melting out the original over a twelve hour burn-out, Melting the silver, the process failing and losing a whole week of carving.
Yes, it happened more than once. I did a dragon ring set, four fingers, head & front leg, chest and spines, back and rear leg, tail... had cones-indentions to center each ring with the other effectively locking them together like a solid silver knuckle.
It took three tries to get one section right without cold seams.. I was using a electromelt, a furnace like a coffee pot where you just pick it up and pour.
Darned thing was so heavy and cumbersome it was painful to wear. I left it with a pretty young thing in Colorado Springs. It'd wear blisters riding a harley.
I learned to cast to make knuckles and manipulators for my robots since I could not afford to have them made professionally at a machine shop.Excuse me, I farted.
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You cannot cast an internal void. Think of a complex structure that is full of voids to lighten it. The process has advanced considerably in recent times. The above machine is for playing only but the "real thing" can make ready to use metal parts out of a variety of materials with excellent properties.Free software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
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Sure you can cast a internal void.. done all the time with engine blocks.. the freeze plug holes is where the sand cores are removed. I got a real good discovery channel special on Eldebrock performance casting.. WOW.. Seeing the runners made up for intakes.. and them doing it the same way, over and over and over..Excuse me, I farted.
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The "Fab" movement is an interesting one that has caught the imagination of a new generation of youngsters in universities. They see inexpensive CNC tools as being similar to the whole PC vs Mainframe revolution that took place. They are speculating on what happens when the means of production wind up in the hands of everyone.
There are a lot of manifestations of this. Some examples:
- Projects to package up the minimum portable CNC shop that could make anything and send it to third world villages or with military units in remote areas. If they can make it at their end, you only need to ship the raw materials and make parts just in time. The Army has been experimenting with this quite a lot to relieve their logistics issues. Some front line units in Iraq have the ability to make custom accessories for their weapons from billet aluminum and have been doing so.
- Machines like this funky "glue printer" mentioned. Someone else used one to make custom chocolate confections, which I thought was pretty cute.
- Thoughts of shops that have the machines, kind of like Kinko's with its color printers. You just bring your CAD file in, sit down at a terminal, crank out the CAM work, press a button, and someone brings you the freshly machined part from the back after a while.
It is pretty amazing how cheap CNC has gotten. I'm in the process of converting my lathe and mill, but in the meanwhile, a really inexpensive router came up for sale on eBay, so I bought it:
They're made by a guy called "Widgitmaster" over on CNCZone, and cost a little over $600. Hook it up with VCarve software and you can make all kinds of interesting goodies. After reading the post yesterday about Xylotex, I bought their 3 axis kit with breakout, power supply, drivers, and motors for $400.
For just over $1000, I wind up with a working (albeit small and intended for soft materials) CNC mill. Pretty cool!
The part that still needs loads of work is the software. CAD programs are not too bad, but all the CAM programs are really expensive and really hard to use. I've spent enough time with VisualMill and OneCNC to see that someone needs to make some really slick conversational wizards for Mach that would make it a lot easier.
The times they are a changin'. Soon, we'll quit arguing over SouthBend versus Asian clone and start arguing about Haas versus Asian clones!
Best,
BW---------------------------------------------------
http://www.cnccookbook.com/index.htm
Try G-Wizard Machinist's Calculator for free:
http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCGWizard.html
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Originally posted by EvanThe above machine is for playing only but the "real thing" can make ready to use metal parts out of a variety of materials with excellent properties.
I don't know if can take a picture of it though, it's part of a client project development I'm working on.
Might be able to take a few part-pictures though if anyones interested.
PeterLast edited by Peter N; 02-08-2007, 12:50 PM.
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Might be able to take a few part-pictures though if anyones interested.
David, you know what I mean by internal voids. Let me see you cast an eggshell.
Bob,
Gee, that way system looks familiar.Free software for calculating bolt circles and similar: Click Here
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OK here's a few snaps.
The material is called Alumide, and it's an aluminium/nylon resin matrix that starts off as a fine cryogenically ground powder.
Although the selective laser sintering process will fuse the aluminium, it won't sufficiently fuse together with enough integrity on its own, and the nylon acts as a resin binder.
The sintering process builds up in layers of around 0.030"-0.040" (you can see this in the pictures) but unfortunately the resolution of the SLS process is really only good for +/- 0.020". For fine detail you need an SLA, but you can't do this with aluminium.
It can be milled, drilled, tapped, ground, and polished when cured. The bulk density is way lower than aluminium but it produces a very stiff and conductive part.
Peter
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