What if we could 3D print our aquascape?

[Dburr1014]

I saw a demo a year ago of a very very fast 3d printer. I was blown away. Honestly, the one we have at work, I could take a block of aluminum and a Bridgeport and build stuff faster than it can. I am not a machinist BTW.

I can't wait for a sub $1500 fast (at least three times as fast as now) 3D printer.

This may be true but the printer can print things that you wouldn't be able to with the Bridgeport.
We had one at my last job. The demo in the software was chess pieces. Our engineer took that software and built on it. So if you made the castle and looked inside the tiny door, it had tools that we made at work inside it. It had the staircase going up... Unbelievable detail inside that no way you could actually machine it.
This is why we have 3d printers, not for speed but for the unmachineable one piece parts that otherwise would have to be done as 2 or 3 parts then put together.
The detail is a bonus and would take even more time machining by hand.

 

[dantimdad]

This may be true but the printer can print things that you wouldn't be able to with the Bridgeport.
We had one at my last job. The demo in the software was chess pieces. Our engineer took that software and built on it. So if you made the castle and looked inside the tiny door, it had tools that we made at work inside it. It had the staircase going up... Unbelievable detail inside that no way you could actually machine it.
This is why we have 3d printers, not for speed but for the unmachineable one piece parts that otherwise would have to be done as 2 or 3 parts then put together.
The detail is a bonus and would take even more time machining by hand.

No, I think you misunderstood. I love the 3D printing. I was just lamenting that the things we print, I could machine faster.

I wasn't being negative just emphasizing the point that speeds need increase before it's viable on a wider range of things.

Yes, there are $150K+ 3D printers that are fast but, we are talking printing stuff for ourselves.

Hope I was more clear in my intended message this time.

 

[Dburr1014]

No worries, I understood.

 

[Centerline]

I saw a demo a year ago of a very very fast 3d printer. I was blown away. Honestly, the one we have at work, I could take a block of aluminum and a Bridgeport and build stuff faster than it can. I am not a machinist BTW.

I can't wait for a sub $1500 fast (at least three times as fast as now) 3D printer.

Check this out..

 

[dantimdad]

That is awesome! But $40K

Give it a few years....

 

[Larry L]

I was just lamenting that the things we print, I could machine faster.

Agree, but even now you can get really nice 3D printers definitely in the sub-$1000 range and even into the sub-$500 range. Buy a dozen (or several dozen) and just keep them all busy, and the throughput gets pretty high (like a previous poster said, once you have them calibrated they're pretty much set and forget).

 

[Mike Ducharme]

Like this

: )

That piece it's phenomenal. I'm totally grabbing a 3d printer now. One question i have its how do you make your designs. Can you copy and paste or is it more like a cnc Machine?

 

[Reef-junky]

That piece it's phenomenal. I'm totally grabbing a 3d printer now. One question i have its how do you make your designs. Can you copy and paste or is it more like a cnc Machine?

LoL

That is not mine. It was meant as more of a joke. I wish I knew how to 3D print. There are a ton of things I would want to make. I don’t really know anything about how 3D printers work. I do a lot of DIY so this very well maybe a thing that I do at one point. There are a ton of pictures online of skulls in saltwater tanks. This really isn’t my thing but it’s unique. I’ve seen beer cans as well. If I put a skull in my fish tank my wife would probably make me take it out. I’ve seen a guy make pillars. None of this is 3D printed by the way.

 

[Larry L]

I thought this was interesting and relevant: 3D printing with a ceramic foam. Once it dries, it is porous on multiple scales:
1) on a micro scale via pores in the ceramic itself
2) on a mostly micro scale via gaps between layers and infill
3) on a macro scale via the hexagonal infill

 

[Mike Ducharme]

LoL

That is not mine. It was meant as more of a joke. I wish I knew how to 3D print. There are a ton of things I would want to make. I don’t really know anything about how 3D printers work. I do a lot of DIY so this very well maybe a thing that I do at one point. There are a ton of pictures online of skulls in saltwater tanks. This really isn’t my thing but it’s unique. I’ve seen beer cans as well. If I put a skull in my fish tank my wife would probably make me take it out. I’ve seen a guy make pillars. None of this is 3D printed by the way.

Yes I'm not a big fan of the skulls either or fake decorations for that matter. The possibilities are endless with 1 of these, i instantly thought of all the clips, racks and brackets i could make. The stuff that isn't being made on a wide scale yet or just having the ability to solve problems that come up as they always do in this hobby

 

[Reef-junky]

Yes I'm not a big fan of the skulls either or fake decorations for that matter. The possibilities are endless with 1 of these, i instantly thought of all the clips, racks and brackets i could make. The stuff that isn't being made on a wide scale yet or just having the ability to solve problems that come up as they always do in this hobby

It would be interesting to know how they program these printers. I know I read that this stuff can break down over time in saltwater. I suppose it depends on the material used.

 

[siggy]

My son and I just ordered our First 3D printer, we are super excited !

 

[Dburr1014]

It would be interesting to know how they program these printers. I know I read that this stuff can break down over time in saltwater. I suppose it depends on the material used.

From what I know (not much) you can download right from internet programs.

 

[Reef-junky]

From what I know (not much) you can download right from internet programs.

Makes me wonder if you could print a skimmer for less then it would cost to buy one.

 

[Reef-junky]

Would a printer like this be good enough for our saltwater needs?

 

[siggy]

Would a printer like this be good enough for our saltwater needs?

Hey heads up with Walmart, I ordered one and just received a email and refund....well a notice that I will be refunded.

 

[siggy]

3D food printing why not reef cement? Its gonna happen

 

[FranklinDattein]

I own a FDM 3Printer since they first came out (recently I also got a DLP 3D printer) and I've been printing stuff for my tank since then, including aquascaping pieces.
My printer is very reliable and I am a half decent CAD designer, yet it takes me several weeks to design and print a functional piece. The process of designing, printing, testing, fixing and re-printing is extremely laborious and at times tedious. Specially for organic designs, like rock structures.

I've done a handful of coral and frag support structures, to be able to snap fit frags on vertical walls and other similar stuff. It was enjoyable while I was having fun with the process, but it got tedious and these days I use the lessons learned to manually model polymorphic plastic (melts in boiling water and can be melted several times).

The polymorphic plastic allows for experimentation and more organic shapes, that look better in the rock work. Reason why I think it is a much better option to build aquaspaping out of plastic.

Having that said, the idea o 3D printing in ceramic is very appealing and something I've been meaning to try for a while.

 

[Larry L]

Another 3D printer for ceramics: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/210413417/cerambot-the-most-affordable-ceramic-3d-printer/

 

[Spit.fire]

3d printed porous structure coated in concrete I did awhile ago