My 3D printed receiver

[Rust]

One reason for using Selective Laser Melting is that parts can be manufactured in shapes that are simply not possible with any other manufacturing method. For instance you could make a hollow seamless sphere, impossible otherwise, it's the seamless part.

Accuracy and surface finish will improve as the technology matures. The sintering material will improve too, finer grain size which is already pretty fine which means eventually the process will have to take place in a hard vacuum, more exotic alloys, more finely focused lasers.

Strength may not fully equal forgings, nor fatigue resistance but those are just math problems for the engineers. Overbuild it by whatever factor is needed.

What needs to be understood is that the receiver in question is a one off experimental prototype, a proof of concept. So get a grip, Orville and Wilburs first prototype didn't look like or work as well as a F-22 either. First electrical computers used 4,000 tubes and took 1500 watts of power to run.

 

[hpshooter]

"What needs to be understood is that the receiver in question is a one off experimental prototype, a proof of concept. So get a grip, Orville and Wilburs first prototype didn't look like or work as well as a F-22 either. First electrical computers used 4,000 tubes and took 1500 watts of power to run."
YES!!

 

[spclark]

First electrical computers used 4,000 tubes and took 1500 watts of power to run.

First I have to commend you for your forays into this area. I sure wish I were 30 or 40 years younger; computers were around when I was in college but they took up rooms rather than table space not much bigger than a book.

As for that 1500 watts... that's what a typical 120v household circuit can easily supply. I recall HEAT was the enemy of these machines; you left off at least two zeros!

http://technical.ly/philly/2011/02/...riginal-modern-super-computer-65-years-later/

 

[Rust]

spclark - Time flies, things change. Those 1,500 watt early tube computers were prototypes too, later tubed computers took 1,500,000 watts to run and a whole lot more tubes. Much engineering was done on all components to keep the Eniac and Brainiac funning for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Now my notebook I am typing this on has more power than all the computers in the world back then combined. It runs at a few volts and couple of watts in comparison.

Back in the day, learning programming I had to use an IBM 1246 keypunch machine and keypunch cards. Had to haul the key card stack (where the term instruction stack came from) to the computer room and come back the next day for a printout (teletype, dot matric wasn't available for a few more years).

Party line rotary dial telephone, the only phone company was Bell, a 20" black and white TV was huge, three broadcast channels if the weather was good, gas was .22 cents, a new car ran about $2,000, a new four bedroom two bath two story custom brick house ran about $27,000. A case of beer was $4 and there was no "light" beer because nobody wanted that tasteless weak beer substitute.

Not all progress is an improvement. Not all old school is better.

 

[butchlambert]

Actually in our part of the country $8,000 was the price of a nice 3br custom. Rest of what you are saying is true.

 

[Rust]

Actually in our part of the country $8,000 was the price of a nice 3br custom. Rest of what you are saying is true.

Butch - Real plaster, not drywall, a lot of custom windows, fancy kitchen (long before it became a trend), real wool carpeting, real hardwood flooring, poured concrete instead of block basement, and a bunch of other stuff and a lot of square footage adds up.

My grandparents bought their 2 story with a basement, 3 bedroom (one with walk in closet), dining room, den, living room, attached garage in a city for $4,500 after WWII.

 

[superlite]

I used to run a division of TNT and spent a lot of time in New Zealand. Then when I was with IKEA headquarters I was back again regularly. Enjoyed ever visit. Especially sailing on Wednesday afternoons on the Bay of 1,000 Sails, Auckland Harbor and pubbing in Christ Church. Just too far to get to see my grand daughter regularly or I would consider moving there.

Bob

TNT Diving & Salvage?

 

[dcali]

Any updates on this totally insane but extremely cool project?

 

[USMCDOC]

Any updates on this totally insane but extremely cool project?

May i ask you sir, why you consider it "totally insane"?

 

[dcali]

Mostly because that's a lot of effort and there's a good chance it won't work or will produce a hand grenade. Still very impressive, though. Very interesting stuff.

 

[Canadian bushman]

I didnt see anyone post this but...

believe it or not, the biggest obstacle for additive mfg is the alloys. Since the mat'l used by the machine has to be powdered and spray arc'd into form it cant be exactly the same alloy as billets, castings, forgings etc...

If its not exactly the same, it cant share the same spec, and some of the big dogs wont buy it. That is unless they make a new spec. Lol that doesnt just happen.

If you want additive manufacturing that prints with metals similar to those being machined youre looking at upwards of $100,000

Here is a machine that we have been watching develop for the last couple of years. Its not always smart to buy the first model machine of new technology.