Molten Metal 3D Printer: The Next Generation od 3D Printing

Home 3D printers made of plastic such as the Cubify Cube and the MakerBot Replicator build objects by laying down layers of melted plastic filament. They awaken people's originality and creativity by turning ideas into reality by allowing them to create original and custom-designed objects. However, we have to admit it -- no matter how original or awesome some things may be, it's still plastic. Plastic is ideal for industrial prototypes, low-cost toys, and tools. It's not the the best material for precise parts, or polished durable objects.

During the Maker Faire held in New York City, a father and son attempted to create the next level of 3D printing by using molten metals such as aluminum and copper instead of plastic. Scott and Zachary Vader, debuted their prototype machine, called the Mark 1, can be tagged as the "inkjet printer for metals."

These units will be custom-built works and progress and will likely be sold at a staggering price range of $20,000 to $100,000. Zachary Vader told Tom's Guide that they intend to make a cheaper version of this, which would be priced below $10,000 in the next year. However, he said that there's no finality yet on what it will look like.

Soon, "maker" inventors will be able to build their very own machines in small workshops using 3D printers. Although metal printing is now a reality, it's still not suitable for heavy-duty industrial parts. Selective laser sintering is one of the most common process in metal printing, which involves laying down a layer of metal powder and then heats it with a laser so that the metal melts and flows together. But according to Zachary Vader, the objects produced aren't ideal for building machine parts because they are slightly porous.

That's why the Vaders developed a different metal printing technology, which is more like the inkjet printers that inspired 3D printing in the first place. Their printing process starts with an electric furnace up top that melts the metal ingots -- a process that is considerably energy efficient. The printer runs off a regular wall outlet. The furnace is enclosed in a glossy-black cube with the family's name printed in bold. According to mechanical engineer Zachary Vader, the liquid metal jet printing or direct-to-metal printing process -- uses magnetism to propel melted metal onto the printer bed. But for metals like aluminum, the printer will have to apply an electrical charge to the metal. Its mechanism is similar to some inkjet printers, which apply an electrical charge to droplets of ink and use magnetic force to direct them onto a sheet of paper. Cheap inkjet printers can propel them through thousands of nozzles, thousands of times per second, instead squirting out one drop at a time. The Vaders' device can likewise have thousands of nozzles and run close to or even faster than the speed of an inkjet. Plastic printers today have just one nozzle, and at most about a half dozen, that trace out a design.

And since the electrical conductivity of the metal is the key factor to the printing mechanism, it may require some reconfiguration of its original process when adding new materials. Zachary believes copper, silver, and gold are materials that are fairly easy to add.

One of the main benefits of 3D metal printing is that it can make a single, unique object that normally could only be produced by mass manufacturing. This will allow companies to produce products in smaller quantities or prototypes in the quantities of a hundred or even just ten. It could also lower the cost of custom metal items such as prosthetic or medical implants.

It would also be possible to create new types of lightweight metal components with metal printing. Instead of creating solid pieces of plastic, 3D printers can print out a honeycomb-like internal structure to save on weight, as well as material. The Vader printer can most likely do the same thing on metal.

With all those reasons and benefits people all over the world would get in the near future, there's no doubt that 3D metal printing will be a part of almost half of the manufacturing world.