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[url= http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=39331 ]Printed titanium components[/url]
Did anyone else whimper when they read this?
I thought that Charge bikes used this on their ti rear dropouts a couple of years ago?
it's not obvious which of those many articles you're excited about.
it's fascinating stuff for sure, but it's been around for years, and still has serious problems.
not least:
'printing' takes ages.
poor dimensional accuracy - i get stuff to inspect for a large aerospace company, with [u]millimeters[/u]* of error.
limited/poor/unreliable control of microstructure.
(*in other words: scrap)
last time I try copy-paste a link on the phone. I'm sure I saw n article about a3d printer that used powdered titanium ink to manufacture car components and was going to make them cheaperr by 70%.
Maybe I dreamed it.
The link works if you shorten it to:
http://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=39331
Here's the Charge video:
Rolls-Royce aero engines are experimenting with 'printing' titanium components as we speak. The accuracy will need to be better than 'millimetres of error' I suspect. However, the kit cost a very big figure, I believe.
For the bike industry, getting errors down into the realm of mere millimetres will revolutionise things for many brands 😆
I work for a company that makes Titanium laser sintering machines. Someone did produce a couple of ti full sus frames as a demo a while ago. Only problem was the machine has a limited working volume so it was made in quarters and not very well attached together.
Empire have done a printed Ti frame.
Someone did produce a couple of ti full sus frames as a demo a while ago. Only problem was the machine has a limited working volume so it was made in quarters and not very well attached together.
Perhaps if they 3d printed the tubes then welded them together?
Brief bit about the frame here:
http://www.etmm-online.com/additive_technology/articles/427199/
It appears we printed the Empire frame. Details here:
Great info GFJ - ta
Van Nicholas have a write up in their 2014 catalogue about electron beam melting titanium manufacturing, had a picture of a stem they had made with it as well as a jet engine fan blade.
I'm currently doing a Engineering Doctorate on modelling of the Renishaw Am250.
As of yet I haven't managed to get anything interesting printed out. But maybe soon.
GeForce Junky - Member
Brief bit about the frame here:http://www.etmm-online.com/additive_technology/articles/427199/
It appears we printed the Empire frame. Details here:
Do you work for Renishaw? Have we met? I'm at Swansea University.
Have a look at these guys' products:
http://www.hieta.biz/
If F1 cars can use their stuff, bikes surely can.