Check out this article. I was just researching this idea a few days ago, so I was thrilled to read this! Be sure to read the last few paragraphs 
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/02/the-secret-world-of-printing-concept-cars-in-...
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Feb. 17, 2011 9:11 a.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork
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Feb. 17, 2011 9:11 a.m. alfadriver SuperDork
Linky?
ah- the late edit.
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Feb. 17, 2011 9:22 a.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork
Yeah sorry, I was so excited I forgot the link at first
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Feb. 17, 2011 9:33 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork
I was at the cabin fever expo in York last month. They had several of those printers there making parts. As well a number of engines and other strange things with parts made from them. It's going to turn the fabrication world upside down and inside out.
Not simply panels. Oh no. There were complete engines at the show made on those printers. As well bizzare transmissions and other mechanisms.
I saw two distinctly different types. One did the hardening plastics, the others were basically milling machines.
Perhaps the best part was the price. Small light ones were down at near one grand. Yea, a mere $1k. Really cool ones started at only $10k.
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Feb. 17, 2011 11:00 a.m. Slyp_Dawg Reader
now THIS is interesting. now if they make ones that can print out metal parts strong enough to be used in competition, you could literally print out a race car in modules, or just print out new modules at the track if you wanted to try something different, you could develop the car literally as fast or faster than the massively big budget F1 teams (aka Toyota, before they got out anyway) can, run telemetry on the car and have an engineer making small modifications to the file based on feedback from the driver and telemetry data and print out a new upright or a new set of suspension mounting points (assuming that the part of the chassis that the suspension mounts to could be made separate from the rest of the chassis, anyway), and depending on how quickly the printer could work, have that part on the car within the hour and have it back on track
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Feb. 17, 2011 11:08 a.m. alfadriver SuperDork
Well, right now, one can make casting patterns out of this. It's already being done- which speeds things up a LOT.
Other stuff- kind of depends on what you need- you can't make a wing this way, but you can make a mold that then can lay up wings into.
And I have seen a stero-lith intake manifold used straight from the "printer".
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Feb. 17, 2011 1:38 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork
There was an editorial in the paper here yesterday about this technology. They were considering how far it has come in just the short time it's been around, and speculating on where it may go in the future - it could revolutionize all kinds of short run production.
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Feb. 17, 2011 1:43 p.m. Conquest351 New Reader
Imagine having one in your house...
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Feb. 17, 2011 1:51 p.m. Javelin SuperDork
I'd print a complete Ferrari 330P4 and go for a drive!
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Feb. 17, 2011 2:36 p.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork
Slyp_Dawg wrote:
now THIS is interesting. now if they make ones that can print out metal parts strong enough to be used in competition, you could literally print out a race car in modules, or just print out new modules at the track if you wanted to try something different, you could develop the car literally as fast or faster than the massively big budget F1 teams (aka Toyota, before they got out anyway) can, run telemetry on the car and have an engineer making small modifications to the file based on feedback from the driver and telemetry data and print out a new upright or a new set of suspension mounting points (assuming that the part of the chassis that the suspension mounts to could be made separate from the rest of the chassis, anyway), and depending on how quickly the printer could work, have that part on the car within the hour and have it back on track
Direct Metal Laser Sintering ...The technology exists. it is amazing....
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Feb. 17, 2011 5:38 p.m. fritzsch New Reader
Yup, this stuff is pretty cool, I work in a lab at my college where we have three machines. One is bascially a 3D inkjet printer, the second is stereolithography machine using a laser and a vat of photosensitive resin, and we have a third Selective Laser Sintering machine. The SLS is the same sort of technology as the Direct Metal Laser Sintering, except the machine we have is from EOS. but you can really make anything you want, and now there is such a large range of material that can be used from rubbery materials to nylon-based plastics, to metal. There are limitations, however, most of these take many hours for a part of any substantial size. For example to build a 300mm tall part in our EOS laser sintering machine takes almost 30 hours and then you have to let the part cool down for just as long before you can take it out and handle it or clean it (due to warping and shrinkage). but it is still much faster than production
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Feb. 17, 2011 6:08 p.m. SillyImportRacer Reader
In reply to fritzsch:
You totally just made my job sound very dull.
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Feb. 17, 2011 6:09 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork
4cylndrfury wrote:
Direct Metal Laser Sintering ...The technology exists. it is amazing....
Wow, that is WAY better than the 3D Metal Printer I saw on How It's Made. That thing basically built a metal "sponge" that was then impregnated with molten brass. Nice for a sculpture or a prototype to build a casting from, but probably not good enough for a functional part.
fritzsch, can I get you to make me a couple crossflow heads for an L-series engine? (One for mine, one to sell)
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Feb. 17, 2011 6:10 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork
Ho.
Lee.
Crap.
I think my head will explode.
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Feb. 17, 2011 10:18 p.m. fritzsch New Reader
JoeyM, Unfortunately our lab doesn't handle any metal materials at this time. If you want nylon plastic ones I could do that lol
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Feb. 17, 2011 10:34 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork
fritzsch wrote:
JoeyM, Unfortunately our lab doesn't handle any metal materials at this time. If you want nylon plastic ones I could do that lol
Pity. I could think of good uses for an extra $30K
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Feb. 19, 2011 4:13 p.m. JoeyM SuperDork
http://hooniverse.com/2011/02/19/datsunnissan-lz20b-doch-group-4-race-motor/
This 1980 LZ20b race motor [....] A race-only DOHC conversion of the existing and venerable L-block Nissan motors, this particular one made 210 HP in race trim.
