Couldn't resist this last week at VDub Island. It's just a bluetooth speaker for connectiing smartphones/MP3's......but its made by a 3D printer!!!!! If anyone wants to know where to get one just PM me.
Thats what I said! The guy who makes them was on the stand and we had a good chat - he had other designs eg one looked like a camera, but I liked this one.
I'd be really interested to see how he makes the magnet and windings for the speaker itself on a 3D printer. I have a feeling that the actual speaker is bought - but the case is really cool and it's good to see the technology taking birth as it were.
Amazing, and that is the future once the very clever techie peeps refine that gizmo, almost everything will be poss.Dial in a bus part anyone?
The technology already exists. We're doing some research with a company who use a desktop 3D printer to make the prototype, then laser deposition of titanium alloy powder to make a very near net shape part. This results in an incredibly light part which requires very little machining. The first batch of tests performed show that both the material and the parts manufactured are able to match the properties and characteristics of forged or cast components. Clever stuff going in aircraft these days. I also witnessed a hydrogen fuel cell being manufactured much the same way earlier this year on a trip to Madrid. Scary though that this fuel cell will be used to power aircraft systems
That is gobsmacking Joker, really just sooo interesting ,I reckon in what? 5 years perhaps those machines will literally change massively our world/economy, bet most nations (except Britain)are throwing money at the development of said technology.
The technology has been around for 20-30 years perhaps longer, the laser tech is fairly new a friend of mine was doing his phd on it, was pretty cutting edge a few years ago and the tech for metal had only just started, let me have a go at making some too , the issue was how britle the material was as it was effectively a micro casting , mega clever though
Most of it is H.I.P'd afterwards, makes it super strong. Steveagain, UK companies and UNI's are investing massively. Sadly this kind of technology use will remove jobs not create them. 10 people working in a foundry or on a forging press will become one computer operator in a control booth. Aero engine manufacturers are still ploughing on trying to develop blisks - engine diss with integral blades. Currently they have a disc with blades made separately and installed in them. Making these reduces the overall manufacturing requirement. Bad for a company like mine who extensively test both. Wait until they start using 3D printers to make organic human body parts
