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Researchers have found a way to 3D print structures of copper and gold, by stacking microscopically small metal droplets. These droplets are made by melting a thin metal film using a pulsed laser. 3D printing is a rapidly advancing field, that is sometimes referred to as the 'new cornerstone of the manufacturing industry'. However, at present, 3D printing is mostly limited to plastics. If metals could be used for 3D printing as well, this would open a wide new range of possibilities. Metals conduct electricity and heat very well, and they're very robust. Therefore, 3D printing in metals would allow manufacturing of entirely new devices and components, such as small cooling elements or connections between stacked chips in smartphones.
Researchers from FOM [Ed: No expansion given] and the University of Twente now made a major step towards high-resolution metal printing. They used laser light to melt copper and gold into micrometre-sized droplets and deposited these in a controlled manner. In this method, a pulsed laser is focused on a thin metal film. that locally melts and deforms into a flying drop. The researchers then carefully position this drop onto a substrate. By repeating the process, a 3D structure is made. For example, the researchers stacked thousands of drops to form micro-pillars with a height of 2 millimetres and a diameter of 5 micrometres. They also printed vertical electrodes in a cavity, as well as lines of copper. In effect, virtually any shape can be printed by smartly choosing the location of the drop impact.
3D printing metal is so yesterday. Graphene and carbon nanotubes are where it's at.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Kromagv0 on Friday June 12 2015, @04:55PM
My little, inexpensive, but good welder [fleetfarm.com] at full power has a duty cycle of 50% and at the lowest setting will run fine continuously. The higher setting allow deeper welds but for building up a pile of metal the lowest setting will work just fine, but if you had some 3/8" plate steel that had a crack you would need to turn up the setting to so weld the crack fully though or use lower settings and weld on both sides (a good choice in either case). Also yes I have basically done some continuous running of it when I welded in some new floor pans in my project car (16 gauge mild steel). You get better result using .025" non flux core wire which for that welder requires buying the gas kit but the results are so much nicer and you are less likely to burn the metal even on the lowest setting.
As for casting, casting iron and steel are a real bitch especially when compared to other metals like copper, aluminum, bronze. If you don't need the strength of steel then it is pretty easy to cast aluminum.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone