This Factory In A Box Picks Up Where 3-D Printing Leaves Off. 3-D printers may revolutionize the way we make things, but they'll never be capable of producing everything. While the most expensive, advanced machines might be able to print in full-color or in different materials, they can't do other basic machining tasks like etching or milling. So, while the 3-D printing revolution may let us make things like shower heads and Pierogi molds at home, more ambitious makers will still have to head to a workshop. Now comes the MicroFactory, being touted as "a machine shop in a box" by its creators, who were inspired to create a multi-tool kit after collaborating at the Boston-area maker space Artisans Asylum. The machine can 3-D print in four colors and multiple materials, etch, and mill. It's what they call "hybrid manufacturing. " The micro-factory dramatically expands the range of products a person with no other equipment could make.
Open Source Machine. Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies - Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies. This Factory In A Box Picks Up Where 3-D Printing Leaves Off. MpUCut - Home Micro-Foundry. Price: : £350 + p&p Micro-Foundry The Micro-Foundry offers an affordable introduction to lost wax casting in Brass, Bronze, Silver or Gold by using a combination of: Non-specialist, cheap, widely available 'hi-tech' kitchen equipment Traditional 'lo-tech' equipment as used by lost wax casters for 1000 years Full instructions for the safe use of this equipment, describing each stage leading to the casting of a piece of jewellery. The Micro-Foundry can be setup on 1.5 metres of clear workbench with 1 metre of clear space in front and a 220v power socket. The Micro-Foundry for Jewellery and Micro-modelling crafts, consists of an A5/0 crucible micro-furnace (MFJ) and matching burn-out furnace (BFJ) for producing small, precious metal castings by lost wax investment from a wax model.
MFJ (Micro-Furnace for Jewellery) - Melting the Metal The MFJ is the 'Melting' furnace and will melt 10cc of Brass, Bronze, Silver or Gold in an A5/0 crucible. The Micro-Foundry The user provides: Important Notes:
Laser Cutting. David J. Gingery Publishing. About Us - The 3Doodler. LYMAN FILAMENT EXTRUDER II by hlyman. 3D Printing. Materials. SYSTEMS-VX500 system: the compact 3D printer. DIY Lab Equipment Links - Page 1 of 2. Creating large-scale parts with Sciaky’s direct manufacturing (video) Jan.8, 2013 Established in 1939, Chicago-based Sciaky provides groundbreaking direct manufacturing (DM) solution to save manufacturers time and money on the production of large, high-value metal parts and prototypes.
The Sciaky's DM solution, which is based on additive manufacturing principles, is a large-scale, fully programmable means of achieving near-net shape parts made of titanium, tantalum, inconel and other high-value metals. It can make functional prototypes and production parts up to 19' x 4' x 4' (579 x 122 x 122 cm). How does Sciaky's DM work? Starting with a 3D model from a CAD program, Sciaky's fully-articulated, moving electron beam welding gun deposits metal, layer by layer, until the part is complete and ready for finish machining.
Deposition rates typically range from 7 to 20 lbs per hour, depending upon part geometry and the material selected. Over the past two years, Sciaky's DM solution has been used by the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S.
Tutorials. Second Step to Mini FabLab | Interdependent Thoughts. The laser cutter is the true workhorse of any making set-up. And last week I have ordered one for our minFabLab at home. The machine is a Chinese machine provided by HPC in the UK. The mechanics are fine, but the software less so. However, the LaOS project creates open source hardware and software to run the machines, and you can buy the machine without the original control hard and software. The good people behind the LaOS project regularly travel to the UK to get ‘gutted’ laser cutters from HPC. You can find some pictures of the machine at Bart Bakker’s website on his miniFabLab, and a description of the LaOS project is also available.
The machine has been ordered, and will be transported to the Netherlands early July. Next up is looking for a vinyl cutter (after the summer) and taking a closer look at what I already have and still need for a micro-electronic workbench during the summer. Open Source Machine.