3D printing..we are getting good
 

This is a working fullscale prototype of a highspeed pump impellor one of our engineers made today on the 3d printer. All we had to do was run a reamer through the hole to size it precisely. They set it on a test motor and spun it at nearly 12,000 rpms and it didn't fly apart. This is really impressive to do something like this. It took 6 hours to print it in comparison to several real challenging days in the tool room.


http://mintesfiles.com/gfy/impeller.JPG

i wish i could do a 3D print of myself so i could delegate my work to my copy...

I drove to Home Depot and got one in 5 minutes.

That would've been easier. :disgust

That is very cool. What kind of material is that made out of?

That is from ABS,, a hard plastic.

Print me a custom HD dock and 9 3TB HD's

Was it designed in a CAD software, or basic 3d program?

I'm the only dinosaur in the company that still likes autocad...

The impeller was designed as a solidworks 3d model.

12,000 rpm in any pump is screaming fast...
SeaDoo jet pumps for example will come apart at about 8,000 rpm
Peak is about 7,200 rpm going 60+mph.
Maybe you can engineer a high speed pump for a ski and we can cut that pesky rev limiter wire and see what she can really do!

Gonna get one of their 3D Scanners?

i still dont understand, how nasa want to print food? :helpme

Our idea is to move more fluid with smaller but faster motors. The blade design takes a smaller bite. When we get it figured out we should have a more energy efficient pump in a smaller package. This is where the 3d printer really shines. The cost of making this prototype was probably $3.00 worth of material versus a couple of thousand dollars worth of very highly skilled labor to make it.

Probably has merit. Right now I don't see a big benefit for how we use the printer..but that doesn't mean a benefit doesn't exist.

Wow..I can remember a project engineer saying he was paying 10k for a rapid prototype from an stl when I was working as an automotive designer.

This is actually a bad thing.. Means less skilled jobs :(

In the long run maybe not. New technologies can be used to develop newer technologies which will create jobs in those newer technologies.

Take, for example, computer software. Spreadsheets and accounting software greatly streamlined and modernized the accounting profession. There was a reduction in the need for accountants and secretaries because one person could now do the job of many.

As software got more and more elaborate eventually we wound up where we are today with internet access and huge online companies that have created many jobs and allowed many others to work for themselves.

Wait until 3D piracy starts.
Once that happens then the gouvernements will start summary executions

Problem with fluid dynamics is running into cavitation when you try to spin too fast, which destroys impellers pretty quickly.

But you probably knew that.

You could put Red Jacket/Veeder-Root out of business; or work with them.
Their motor build is archaic.

i think in 5 years everyone will have one at home :thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

I do know that. What I am not showing in the picture is the business side. You can notice the gates are designed to be quite steep. The plan is to compress the fluid at a smaller ratio.

However, it's only done the first two tests. It stayed together at 12,000 rpm. And that is amazing considering this is a 3d printed part. It only require a few grams of balance before we cranked it up.

The second test it passed was it pushed fluid at 2500. After it got to speed the bubbling settled down to almost nothing. The housing fit needs some adjustments and it's back in the toolroom.

We are going to try and bring it up to full speed sometime next week.

The skills have been fading for years. Having a machine that can do this sort of prototype work is going to be a necessity soon rather than just an advantage.

3d printing is pretty amazing stuff. What gets me is how wide the range of things they are doing with it. It goes from stuff like this used for fast prototyping to printing actual replacement parts for the human body. Then you have a complete other spectrum where they are working on printing food products. Not to mention groups that are working on stuff like printing with concrete, for building structures.

The really cool stuff is, I'm building a folding kayak. I need some little plastic parts custom made and all I have to do is design them and send the file off to get a one off batch made.

this thread is worthless without fountain pics.