Re: [Phys-l] 3-d printer

[Paul Nord <Paul.Nord@valpo.edu>]

On Jul 15, 2011, at 8:15 AM, Marty Weiss wrote:

> More Questions :  if this printer can make a wrench that works and is as strong as the demonstration shows, why don't we see whole industries built around the technology...  door knobs, locks, tools of all sorts, etc.  ... or is it just cheaper to make them on the traditional assembly line?   Is this so expensive that the cost outweighs the convenience?

1. There are plenty on industries that use this and similar technologies.
2. Yes, this is a very expensive and SLOW way to produce something.
3. This technology is most suitable for for rapid prototyping or for making molds from which to cast the real product using a suitable material.  If wrenches had to be made in the way shown in this video, they would cost a thousand dollars each and you'd have to order 6 years in advance.  (Also, they'd be made of plastic and would break after about a day of use.)

My father in law worked in the aerospace industry a few years back.  I recall him telling me that they sent their 3d computer models of one of their satellite designs to a shop which cast the entire thing using a process like this.  The model cost $50k.  But the customer was impressed.  And it was a very useful way to see how the parts fit together and how assembly could be performed.

I'm still amused that this video is promoting such a technology for manned space missions.  The inference seems to be that, no, you don't need to take anything into space other than the complex industrial infrastructure to supply, support, and maintain an industrial manufacturing shop.

Paul