Indirect Metal printng

[lillyrichard]

Can 3d printers print metal?

[curious aardvark]

yes :-)

BUT not only will the printers cost you an arm and aleg but the washing machine and the sintering forge will then cost you both kidneys and your liver !

Mark forge and desktop metal both sell fdm based metal printing systems.

There are also binder jetting printers that also print in metal.

But the drawback is the cost of the post priocessing machines.

Cheaper and sooo much smaller an neater and better is one of these : https://3dprinting.co.uk/metal-3d-pr...-metal-xm200c/


Smaller than a water cooler and totally self contained it's actually CHEAPER than the full indirect metal printing setup. And pure metal powders are cheaper than the metal infused plastics used by desktop metal and mark forge.

Yes £75,000 IS cheaper than an indirect metal setup. who'd have thunk it :-)

[AutoWiz]

So what is to be learned here by EVERYONE, manufacturers included, is 3d printing is NOT the be all end all of manufacturing processes. It is just another way to manufacturer things. And every THING has it's own best way of being manufactured. What I believe CA is pointing out is that to force 3d printing with metal is the absolute most expensive way to work with metals, but what he isn't saying is that is is also the absolute WORST way we could ever work with metal and will always bring us to the absolute weakest product possible. Which totally flies in the face of working with metal in the first place. To play with plastic we 3d print. to work with metal we CNC. and if you confuse the two, well, you get exactly what you deserve in life for being so, … you know.