3D printer used to make a lathe

**Milacron** · 07-09-2012, 12:53 PM

And what a lathe it is...

Mini printable lathe V2 - YouTube

I like this comment..

"Great stuff, now you can turn parts instead of 3D printing them"

Maybe turn cheese but even that might be out of tolerance...

**John Welden** · 07-09-2012, 01:05 PM

Could 3D printer people quit acting like its a replacement for machined parts? No, it's not good enough, put your toy away. Wow, you 3d printed a lathe, real genius.

**atomarc** · 07-09-2012, 01:11 PM

If you got hungry in the shop could you eat this lathe? Isn't it made from some dairy product!

Stuart

**kustomizingkid** · 07-09-2012, 03:14 PM

3D printing has it places... that is not it.

**RDL** · 07-09-2012, 03:31 PM

The first cars were not quite to the standards of today's Mercedes. I think there is incredible potential in the technology and it will improve quickly.

**ZAGNUT** · 07-09-2012, 04:24 PM

Easy to build Desktop CNC Mill - YouTube

...at least it's made form iron.

comments section even has idiots asking for plans...

**CWB** · 07-09-2012, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by RDL

I think there is incredible potential in the technology and it will improve quickly.

Dont hold your breath. Many have made similar statements in past decades about this technology.

**FredC** · 07-09-2012, 04:51 PM

The fellow answered a question I had asked before. Can you print an investment for casting in metal? The answer is apparently yes. You could print a part that would be impossible to machine, then take it down to your friendly shop that does investment castings and get it made in 17-4 stainless. There was a company about a hundred miles from there that cast cowboy spurs in 17-4. They did beautiful work. Woud have hated to machine those from bar stock. Now you can print mating parts see if they fit together, break them trying, make corrections, and do it again till you get it right. Then cast it knowing it is going to work. The future is almost here.

**kpotter** · 07-09-2012, 05:13 PM

The jewelery industry uses these printers to make the wax patterns for lost wax casting. The material burns out clean and gives amazing detail.

**RDL** · 07-09-2012, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by ZAGNUT

Easy to build Desktop CNC Mill - YouTube
comments section even has idiots asking for plans...

They ask for the plans because he did not mention the tolerances nor the torque on the NPT fittings.

**Mike_** · 07-10-2012, 07:39 AM

What's messed up is these guys are mostly really young kids just making this stuff for fun and you are mocking them. Least they are making something and aren't sitting around playing video games all day.

**vanguard cycle** · 07-10-2012, 08:26 AM

Lets see, i NEED this part..no one in the world has one, i need it now and it cant be machined, seems pretty legit to me if you have the resources.
talk all the shit you want to but the potential for this technology to be extremely useful reproducing irreplaceable cast parts is right around the corner. Jay Leno has one of these in his shop and uses it for that sole purpose, when the 'master' is printed it is then sent to the foundry he uses for casting.

**Milacron** · 07-10-2012, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by Mike_

What's messed up is these guys are mostly really young kids just making this stuff for fun and you are mocking them. Least they are making something and aren't sitting around playing video games all day.

If that is the case here, then you have a good point. I was assuming it was someone older than a "young kid" making a lathe due to lack of imagination or to be able to say to wife "hey, look, I made a lathe"

**Milacron** · 07-10-2012, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by vanguard cycle

Lets see, i NEED this part..no one in the world has one, i need it now and it cant be machined, seems pretty legit to me if you have the resources.
talk all the shit you want to but the potential for this technology to be extremely useful reproducing irreplaceable cast parts is right around the corner. Jay Leno has one of these in his shop and uses it for that sole purpose, when the 'master' is printed it is then sent to the foundry he uses for casting.

I agree, but as KK mentioned, 3D has it's uses, but this pretend lathe that won't actually "do" anything useful whatsoever, isn't one of them.

**vanguard cycle** · 07-10-2012, 09:10 AM

jesus dude, pretty sure his 'pretend lathe' was simply meant as a demonstration of the printers capabilities, and an impressive one at that.

**Milacron** · 07-10-2012, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by vanguard cycle

jesus dude, pretty sure his 'pretend lathe' was simply meant as a demonstration of the printers capabilities, and an impressive one at that.

To demo "capabilities" where the end result has no actual capability, and no hope for same, is not impressive in the least. Infinitely better for demo purposes would be a part that is nearly impossible to make any other method.

**Cornilsn** · 07-10-2012, 09:21 AM

A company in my work history has been using rapid prototype machines for _30_ years to make patterns for investment casting. Aint nothing new under the sun.

**Mike_** · 07-10-2012, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Cornilsn

A company in my work history has been using rapid prototype machines for _30_ years to make patterns for investment casting. Aint nothing new under the sun.

No, it's most certainly new. That is unless your company paid well under 5 grand for those rapid prototyping machines. Oh, you have to build the machine without using a real lathe, mill, or any other tooling we are all used to having. If you've ever seen a rep-rap style machine first hand you would be impressed at what they can do for all they are. Basically, nothing but a bunch of all thread held together by parts printed on another cheap 3D printer.

All the software and programs you need to run the thing are free too, coded by people that aren't necessarily professional software developers and shared with everyone else with no intention of profit or fame. That in itself is amazing.

If dude wants to print a lathe, so what? Maybe it's just a model, or maybe it's just a demonstration of the capabilities of the 3D printer. A few years back printing something like that would (most likely) have been unheard of.

Nobody anywhere is trying to make money with this style of 3D printer, at least anyone that has any business sense. So there is no real reason to "prove" the capabilities of the machine to anyone other than yourself.

As for the "CNC mill" made from pipe fittings, I think it's pretty impressive. I wouldn't have thought of that. These guys making this stuff don't have access to real machine tools, they make do with what they have which is usually just random hand tools and cheap materials from the hardware store. Imagine if you gave them a rack of steel, a real CNC machine and some good design software...

**SND** · 07-10-2012, 09:51 AM

There was an interview about those 3D things on tv here last night. If I got it right, they asked if it could print food, make me a pie 3D printer( I really hope it was just a badly worded question). and like a whole Iphone, and the guy didn't really say no. Star trek a little too much I think.