I found this on the diecast customs pages.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v483/CadillacPat/Customizing%20Tools/3DPlasticPrinter.jpg

I want stock in that company now, and the plastic company that will supply them.

The whole future of the hobby will change !

Neal

The parts will be nylon .I am not sure how strong they would be .But,I think you should be able to print it and run it.

The parts will be nylon .I am not sure how strong they would be .But,I think you should be able to print it and run it.

Wow! Great post on something completely different.

I'm with Ed. Be a good place to drop a dime or three. Zoiks!

Nylon wont be a problem in the toughness department when you consider that many durable nylo shims, thrust washers, and bushings have been in service for years, thats just the tip of the ice berg. Impact resistent, you can tie it in a knot. Ever try to break a toothbrush in half?

If I'm not mistaken wasn't nylon's big debut was an affordable parachute cloth for the military? A synthetic replacement for silk?

I'd be more worried about trying to get paint, mud, or glue to stick to it. The nylons, and their ilk buck paint like a prize bull, and are annoying to sand and shape, rather like the ole nylatron t-jet chassis. Easy enough to rough cut, but labor intensive to smooth out and re-finish.

Sure would be nifty though. Scan a groovy slot car, insert playdough, set the timer, and ding!

Wow... this is incredible.

is this real?????

The trick to working with nylon is to put it in the freezer first. Once frozen you can sand, shape and cut it a lot easier. But reading this artical leaves me a little skeptical. It's a bit to ST/TNG for me.

Yes, it's real, this kind of technology has been around for at least the last 10 years. It's called rapid prototyping. We had one in our engineering lab at the University of Washington. Basically the one we had had a laser beam that would come in contact with a liguid in the chamber and based on the pattern you input to the laser, whatever the laser hit would solidify the liguid and form your prototype.... Pretty cool stuff.

I've been having protypes made from my Pro-Engineer 3d models using this technology for the last 7 years as part of my job.

check out how it works

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.warwick.ac.uk/atc/rpt/Techniques/Photos/mjm_head.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.warwick.ac.uk/atc/rpt/Techniques/3dprinting.htm&h=393&w=480&sz=26&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=oYi0I7wNq30B2M:&tbnh=106&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3D3d%2Bprinting%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%2 6hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_en___US215%26sa%3DX

Can you imagine printing out a body just like that. I'll just have to wait until they get to the $2K range or below. Hope I'm still into slotcars then, :) rr

Hey Guy's
The 3d printer is awesome, seen something on tv a while back about how GMP or maybe the Franklin Mint were using something similar for protrotyping die cast cars.

A home 3d printer for a couple thousand dollars is exiting stuff for slotters, but, anyone seen any plans for a home scanner the one I seen on tv could scan full size cars and would surely cost millions.

ZIG

Actually the whole time we've been looking at the AW prototypes I was assuming they were being done on a rapid prototyping machine. I may be wrong, but that is what I've been thinking.

nylon won't be a problem if your casting it. :)

Actually the whole time we've been looking at the AW prototypes I was assuming they were being done on a rapid prototyping machine. I may be wrong, but that is what I've been thinking.


Funny, I thought the same.

I had the chance to see one kind of rapid prototyping 3D printer in action some years ago and it was quite the same looking products

Wow very cool. I've been doing business with 3D Systems for the last 3 years. I'll have to get some info on that small 3D printer. We have 2 large volume Stereo Lithography prototyping machines here that use the method described above; a Class IV blue laser burning @ 800mw's hardens a resin in .004" layers. The resin is $2k/10 kilo jug! The machines go for @ $400k a piece. :eek: I get to play around on them once in a while for personal stuff. I did these Sunoco prototype signs last year but haven't progressed on the project yet. Very cool technology that has actually been around since 1986 or so.

http://www.planetofspeed.net/PhotoPost/data/2/1PICT1678-640.jpg

I think the AW prototypes are done on an FDM machine. Fusion Deposition is a method of drawing layers with a heated string of ABS from a spool. I know the 1/32 proto's I've seen at hobby shows are done from this method. ABS and Nylon prototypes are very interesting in that you can create the part and use it in real world applications. At the RP shows, Stratasys (http://www.stratasys.com/) has an ABS gas tank for a weed wacker that they build, attach, fill with gas and run the weed wacker.
:thumbsup:

:thumbsup: The Future is here !

:dude:

Neal you got one already...Lucky! lol

I want to print Made in USA on my Future stuff! Yeah baby!

Bob...zilla

Im with Bill and Ed definately want stock in that company. Definately have to pick up one of those printers.

Alot of the cost reduction could be achieved by actually making parts for the machine by the machine...essentially the machine would be making replicas of itself.