Open-source metal 3-D printer:
This paper reports on the development of a <$2000 open-source metal 3-D printer. The metal 3-D printer is controlled with an open-source micro-controller and is a combination of a low-cost commercial gas-metal arc welder and a derivative of the Rostock, a deltabot RepRap. The bill of materials, electrical and mechanical design schematics, and basic construction and operating procedures are provided. A preliminary technical analysis of the properties of the 3-D printer and the resultant steel products are performed. The results of printing customized functional metal parts are discussed and conclusions are drawn about the potential for the technology and the future work necessary for the mass distribution of this technology.
Via Open Electronics.
This things has got a lot of PR and so far I haven’t seen a single photo of anything it’s printed. Can someone point me to one?
I tried looking as well to see what the final product quality was like. I experienced exactly the same problem as you. There just aren’t any pictures. I expect a significant amount of finishing work to be required though once something is printed since it is using that arc welder to deposit metal and they’re not exactly precision instruments.
Picture of an output gear is in the referenced document from the wiki page:
https://www.academia.edu/5327317/A_Low-Cost_Open-Source_Metal_3-D_Printer
Good find, was better than I expected but still as limited in application as almost every other amateur 3D printed thing.
Looks like the emperor remains buck naked for now.
The emperor has got at least a little bit of clothing. Google :near net shape: They are already well above the industry standard. I think people are expecting some sort of magic from 3d printers and have objects pop off the platform in perfect glossy perfection. This isnt going to happen for awhile – but that hardly makes the tech naked – if you do even a modest amount of post processing you can get to commercial product quality in a number of applications – for normal open source plastic printers and this new one for metal.