Chickenjohn
Morris Minor and Porsche 944 fan
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According to this. Jay Leno has a 3-D prototype printer in his garage to make unavailable parts for his classic cars:-
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/jay-leno/technology/4320759
"One of the hardships of owning an old car is rebuilding rare parts when there are simply no replacements available. My 1907 White Steamer has a feedwater heater, a part that bolts onto the cylinders. It's made of aluminum, and over the 100-plus years it's been in use, the metal has become so porous you can see steam and oil seeping through. I thought we could just weld it up. But it's badly impregnated with oil and can't be repaired. If we tried, the metal would just come apart.
So, rather than have a machinist try to copy the heater and then build it, we decided to redesign the original using our NextEngine 3D scanner and Dimension 3D printer. These incredible devices allow you to make the form you need to create almost any part. The scanner can measure about 50,000 points per second at a density of 160,000 dots per inch (dpi) to create a highly detailed digital model. The 3D printer makes an exact copy of a part in plastic, which we then send out to create a mold. Some machines can even make a replacement part in cobalt-chrome with the direct laser sintering process. Just feed a plastic wire--for a steel part you use metal wire--into the appropriate laser cutter.
Read more: Jay Leno’s 3D Printer Makes Old Car Parts - NextEngine 3D scanner and Dimension 3D printer - Popular Mechanics "
Incredible! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvzcGdZsTc Jay Leno again. Almost Star Trek technology! Latest development is that these machines can now make parts out of metal, steel even.
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/ext...ces-rusty-old-parts-1/index.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20R9nItDmPY Unbelievable! Printing in metal using lasers....
http://www.fool.com/fool/free-rep...1284.aspx?source=isaspodft0000118
Not an early April fool, I hope! This technology sounds absolutely amazing!
Apologies if this has been posted before!
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/jay-leno/technology/4320759
"One of the hardships of owning an old car is rebuilding rare parts when there are simply no replacements available. My 1907 White Steamer has a feedwater heater, a part that bolts onto the cylinders. It's made of aluminum, and over the 100-plus years it's been in use, the metal has become so porous you can see steam and oil seeping through. I thought we could just weld it up. But it's badly impregnated with oil and can't be repaired. If we tried, the metal would just come apart.
So, rather than have a machinist try to copy the heater and then build it, we decided to redesign the original using our NextEngine 3D scanner and Dimension 3D printer. These incredible devices allow you to make the form you need to create almost any part. The scanner can measure about 50,000 points per second at a density of 160,000 dots per inch (dpi) to create a highly detailed digital model. The 3D printer makes an exact copy of a part in plastic, which we then send out to create a mold. Some machines can even make a replacement part in cobalt-chrome with the direct laser sintering process. Just feed a plastic wire--for a steel part you use metal wire--into the appropriate laser cutter.
Read more: Jay Leno’s 3D Printer Makes Old Car Parts - NextEngine 3D scanner and Dimension 3D printer - Popular Mechanics "
Incredible! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvzcGdZsTc Jay Leno again. Almost Star Trek technology! Latest development is that these machines can now make parts out of metal, steel even.
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/ext...ces-rusty-old-parts-1/index.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20R9nItDmPY Unbelievable! Printing in metal using lasers....
http://www.fool.com/fool/free-rep...1284.aspx?source=isaspodft0000118
Not an early April fool, I hope! This technology sounds absolutely amazing!
Apologies if this has been posted before!