Xzin's 3D Printing Side Business (Beta)

[Gadzooks]

3-d printers are amazing. I have a few 3-d models that I'd love to have printed, but I'd want them BIG - $3000 big!

Anyway, I'm heavily into 3-d professionally and as a hobby, you might want to throw a few posts up over at http://www.cgsociety.org/ - there's a TON of 3-d artists there who might want to use your system. (there's some *amazing* artists over there).

[Xzin]

The material can hold up to vibration just fine (it is somewhat similar to a lego block) but weight may be a concern. It is about as dense as water. Not super heavy but not ULTRA light either. But then again, Aluminum is 2.7g/cm³ and mine is about 1 g / cm³ but lacks the tensile strength of aluminum. Not sure if it beats out say carbon fiber for strength to weight but for custom accessories it might be a winner.

[blast3r]

This is some very exciting technology. They are actually even working on printing of human organs with more advanced models. Actual real ones that could be used for a transplant. I saw one discovery channel show once where a researcher printed out on layer of a human heart and the slice was actually pulsing/beating.

[Stabface]

How easy would it be to extract the model data? A few for demos could be really great looking.

Fairly easy, they are in some special (.gr2 ?) format which I am not familiar with, but there is a custom tool called TriExporter which will put it in to some more easily handle-able format (.3ds ?). Check the eve-online forums in the dev or tech discussion something something forum, I'm sure you can find it.

[Xzin]

This is some very exciting technology. They are actually even working on printing of human organs with more advanced models. Actual real ones that could be used for a transplant. I saw one discovery channel show once where a researcher printed out on layer of a human heart and the slice was actually pulsing/beating.

Some people are conducting trials of biocompatible calcium based materials used as a scaffolding to replace bone. Others are directly sintering metal with a laser for truly custom implants and joint replacements.

Some other people use machines like mine to print custom hearing aids or other medical devices.

[Stabface]

And teh p0rn industry is liek PENIS PENIS PENIS. LULZ.

[gankzer]

Get your website up and I can do some free marketing for you. I manage a satellite program and L3 communications (Salt Lake City Utah) has a rough version of this capability. More or less for government programs - say integrating a payload onto a satellite - we pay to have the CAD drawings of the hardware "modeled" - similiar to what you have here. We then provide those models to the satellite vendors for early integration. Obviously weight and power draw still needs to be tested but we can at least ensure the volume of the hardware fits within available space, cables and connectors have enough room, etc. Modeling works good but doesn't compare to being able to put hands on a replica of what you expect the metal benders to provide.

It's amazing what these things can do. It's paper and thier machine sprays a resign to harden it. Pretty nifty.

EDIT: What drives the limfac on the size model you can produce?

[Xzin]

What limits the model size? Cost and time. Models are limited by how accurate the machine's physical rails are, etc. The longer and straighter they are, the more expensive. There are a FEW machines that can do larger format work, like say up to 2 or 3 feet per side but they start at a million bucks and go up from there. And their quality isn't that impressive either.

The larger the model, the longer it takes to print. Some really large models for me (meaning full sized - 13" x 13" x 8") might take nearly 3 days to produce.

[yarr]

that jewlery looks pretty cool, although the tough part would be actually making the model of something I would like made.

[bigp3rm]

I am an unemployed 3D architectural visualization artist. Since we are posting work and money here thought I would trow my hat in.















Is it ok to post here or should I have made my own I need work/money thread?