| Now_What - 4/23/2017 10:35
Something like that could be made much faster on a mill out of aluminum. Most of the new aluminum cutters can rip through that at over 100 inches per minute feed.
A 3D printer would take hours just to build a few layers. The other issue with printing aluminum is that it is a reactive material and must be handled carefully as one spark can cause an explosion with aluminum powder. One young technician gave his life a few years back handling some aluminum powder when a spark ignited some loose powder and exploded the separator he was using.
Additively manufacturing materials like aluminum and titanium is not something you want to tread lightly into and do in your garage.
The company I was working for has a metal printer.
You have to print in an inert gas environment, like nitrogen or argon.
It was also very expensive to purchase, like a million bucks.
The plastic printers were much more economical, but still very expensive to run. |
Anyone doing 3D printing of small aluminum or plastic?
