Inkjet prints...in 3D!

I just watched the video and I'm suitably (very) impressed. Looks like the "flatlanders" have finally figured out how to get to the next dimension.

-John

When I was at Texas State Technical College in the 80's we were working with NC card readers. Then very abruptly the full CNC off floppy. About 2 years later at my first shop (I was shop manager for a plastics company) the salesman came knocking for rapid prototyping. I was very impressed though we (shop owner) had no need (vision). Now some 20 years later it comes to a new front.

The timeline interests me. Perhaps now an even greater advancement in general use will be made - or perhaps not. Hmmmm. It is very cool though.

The prices for those printers should rapidly fall.

The important thing is not the initial cost of the printer, but the cost of the ink cartridges.

The consumables generally overtake the Capital costs of a printer very quickly....

I agree. Within 5 years they'll probably be available for home use.

The implications of this printer are phenomenal! Just think, A salesperson that now carries an actual product to demonstrate to a potential client can now present the same thing in minature.

I'm thinking about my nephew (a sales rep for a medical supply firm) who stores bulky home/medical supply products (walkers, bed buddies, crutches, etc.) in one of my spare rooms. I only allow him to do this because he, and is wife, live in a small apartment, and besides, I just happen to like him. Anyway, by using a Z-450 he could carry the firm's entire line in his car; all 3-D models.

The applications boggle the mind.

-John

Hello Johnjohn,

Some 10+ years ago I was in Sydney, Australia, and visited the CSIRO workshops.

There they had an interesting 3D Machine, which machined in 3D a block of metal - hardened carbided-steel in this case, to make unique high-strength one-piece parts for use in Earth Satellites, and other Spacecraft.

The container was filled with transparent oil, and a moving electrode was shifted to and fro, to electrically arc-etch away the metal necessary to achieve the desired shape.

Read about it here: Electrical Discharge Machining

Kind Regards....

Hi Sparky.

What's really unique, and interesting, about this Z-450 printer is that, since it prints in layers what was presented to it via cad-cam, etc., it can reproduce all internal cavities. I didn't read your entire link but from what I read a wire electode is used and that would weem to preclude getting into internal spaces?

I really think there's a world of difference in this printer and EDM.

-John

This is not necessarily all that new. Eight years ago I had a die manufactured by a plastic moulding Company using a computer to guide electrodes which etched away the metal block - this resulted in a perfect 3D mould.

I have also seen a very large, (about 3m x 4m) forming machine that produced perfect 3D images cut out from wood and plastics. The operator could scan a photograph into the computer and it would then cut out a full size very accurate reproduction. It was very 'spooky' to see a perfect 3D model of your own face, spots and all!

We asked if they had any photos of Pamela Anderson to use but they politely declined as it would use too much plastic.

"...would use too much plastic." HAW! Almost as much as the original, I'd reckon! (Did I say that out loud?)

I'm curious as to what the "ink" is in the cartridges - that example looked pretty substantial.

We asked if they had any photos of Pamela Anderson to use but they politely declined as it would use too much plastic.

Perhaps she could be recycled?

Ahhmmmmm.... I think perhaps she may have been? Maybe Tommy Lee might have something to say about that.

Look at these $3000:-

http://shop.safeguardrobotics.com/main.sc

Or this might be a better option for $5,000:-

http://www.desktopfactory.com/