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I normally think of 3D printing as being based on platsics or similar materials. Now an option for printing objects based on aluminum alloys, as strong as the wrought material, may be on the horizon.
Bernard, they are now printing even titanium cheaply. The do it by printing it with a binder, then fusing it in a furnace. Works great and keeps the cost and time down dramatically from using laser fusing during printing.
Metal 3D printing has advanced significantly. General Electric is now producing jet engines the contain parts that are 3-D printed. Recently I had the opportunity to tour the fabrication shop for a very large high-tech company in Mountain View. They had several metal 3-D printers, including one that does titanium and another that prints steel. Another interesting technology they have uses gypsum to print soft parts which are then dipped into something like superglue to create a rigid solid.
Metal 3D printing is relatively a new technology as compared to resin or plastic 3D printing but surely very fascinating technology. I work for Custom prototypes and we offer 3D printing service for both materials resin and metal. If interested to see our work please visit our website or our blog page Custom Prototypes | 3D Printing & Rapid Prototyping Services Toronto. We use SLA technology for resin 3D printing and we have recently started on with metal 3D printing and so far stainless steel has been our first metal to work on.
