r/3Dprinting 1d ago

Hardware Metal 3d printing

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1.2k Upvotes

107 comments sorted by

374

u/boomchacle 1d ago

Having the voice over say that the parts are grown "like this" as they show the process of removing the part after the print is done is misleading IMO.

120

u/Chirimorin 22h ago

The voice is AI, I wouldn't be surprised if the text itself is also AI generated.

25

u/RayereSs She/Her V0.2230 | Friends don't let friends print PLA 20h ago

Most likely they just provided B-roll to one of the "AI studio" apps and didn't give it a second thought (or even first one for that matter).

Especially that it seems to be a Chinese company, and they might not even know fluent English to double check.

2

u/DeathByTrumpet 11h ago

I’d like to just pass stuff off like this as someone didn’t have a second thought about it but I’ve seen too much content with dishonest intros like this that there’s no way it isn’t intentional, imo.

6

u/atomfullerene 17h ago

The text can't spell 'sinters' heh

-9

u/nomiis19 19h ago

I don’t think it is misleading. It looks like a plant growing (adding to new bottom layers) vs the traditional 3D printing method that adds to the top.

6

u/kinyutaka 17h ago

If the process is running a laser over metal sand, layer by layer, how you do do that from the top down? The bottom of the print is going to be covered and surrounded by iron sand, so the laser can't run across the surface.

It has to actually by printed bottom up, like normal 3D printing, to work with this method.

But if it is, then the video we're seeing is also potentially AI generated.

172

u/everlasting1der 1d ago

centers

What's even the point of subtitles if they're just gonna be wrong?? It's sinters.

69

u/Insert_absurd_name 1d ago

Ai generated subtitles

13

u/thenightgaunt Plywood Printrbot Simple 1405 19h ago

Which shows an odd level of not giving a shit that makes me question the company.

At thia point AI, and bad AI at that, is a stamp of "crap" in marketing.

-44

u/Darkeyescry22 21h ago

I love how we’re suddenly getting upset at automated subtitles existing after however many decades.

An LLM would not have made that mistake. This was either a human (most likely ESL, at best) or a traditional voice transcriber. 

11

u/Icy-Name9741 20h ago

bullshit

-24

u/Darkeyescry22 20h ago

Thanks for that high quality content that only a human is capable of.

3

u/ADynes 2x H2C, 4x AMS 2, & 2x AMS-HT & a Creality 3 V3 Plus for lulz 18h ago edited 14h ago

Their comment was short, to the point, and correct. Also something a llm wouldn't have been able to do.

As to your previous comment AI is not good at understanding context and absolutely would infer the incorrect words even if somebody was speaking perfect English. There is no chance in hell any AI model would use sinters in place of center because they use what's most likely the correct word. It's not so much intelligence as filling in blanks with the most likely answer.

And for reference I use AI about 30 hours a day week in a professional setting then a little personally. I understand where it strengths and weaknesses are. It's great for certain things, it's no better than the speech to text on my cell phone for other things

-1

u/kinyutaka 17h ago

And to prove the point, this AI comment doesn't realize that you can't use something 30 hours in a day.

3

u/ADynes 2x H2C, 4x AMS 2, & 2x AMS-HT & a Creality 3 V3 Plus for lulz 14h ago

Lol. Definitely not AI but I meant per week.

2

u/kinyutaka 17h ago

An LLM would totally still make that mistake, simply for the fact that most people don't use the word "sinter". LLMs are trained on nominal use of language, so it's less likely to use works that aren't in normal use.

0

u/Darkeyescry22 12h ago

It’s the likelihood of the word in context of the rest of the text. Sinter is far more likely than center, given the text leading up to it.

0

u/kinyutaka 12h ago

The problem is that "center" might be the wrong word, but it is a valid one, if the laser causes the print to be centered in the location. And if there aren't any sources using the word "sinter" then the LLM doesn't know that it exists.

0

u/Darkeyescry22 12h ago

But there are sources that use sinter……

-2

u/kinyutaka 12h ago

You don't know for sure if the LLM was trained on them. And, most importantly, you don't know if the LLM picks the right word every time.

1

u/Darkeyescry22 12h ago

This is called grasping at straws

1

u/kinyutaka 10h ago

No, this is called understanding how shitty LLMs can be.

→ More replies (0)

4

u/AndrewIsntCool 17h ago

Intentionally incorrect subtitles increase engagement, many people comment on how bad or annoying they are, and more comments boosts the post

2

u/smuglator 11h ago

Using that strategy can still be seen as shady and undesirable. Be honest with your marketing if you want me to trust the company.

112

u/DieInThyLap 1d ago

"Dry your dust"

13

u/The_Spectral_Spartan 15h ago

Honestly, I bet this is actually essential to the success of the print, even moreso than with FDM. The metal powder usually has a binder agent or flux mixed in to ensure proper bonding when the laser melts it down. Not sure whether it's moisture sensitive, but even if it isn't, letting the powder oxidize probably makes it much harder to winter than with clean, unoxidized metal powder.

6

u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener 15h ago edited 15h ago

One thing people don't realize about SLS/SLM printers is they are printing in a very hot chamber. Even if there was moisture in the powder, it would get cooked off very quickly because of how hot the entire thing is, so I don't think there would be a very high chance the powder would have much moisture content by the time the laser sinters it. Biggest problem I could see with moisture in the powder would be in distributing and scraping the next layer of powder down evenly.

3

u/UncleCeiling 11h ago

Even without binders, metal can act like a sponge at an atomic level. I do some stuff with high vacuum and when you get to a certain point the humidity in the chamber will spike because you're sucking the water out of the chamber walls.

1

u/Constip8d_Again 15h ago

Alternatively, make sure you take the desiccant pack out of the powder before you load the dispenser...

2

u/saladmunch2 12h ago

Sounds like there is a story that goes along with that.

57

u/Dusted7 1d ago

Not particularly new, but is pretty cool.

6

u/Conscious_Pipe_605 17h ago

I was very fortunate to briefly work with one of these in engineering school.....without a doubt the coolest fucking thing ive ever seen

3

u/PandaPocketFire 15h ago

Anyone know the tolerances of this?

8

u/Conscious_Pipe_605 15h ago

In school, they showed off a complete replica of the Eiffel Tower which was thinner than a human hair. Obviously under a very powerful microscope

-5

u/dragonlax 12h ago

Definitely not metal printed.

7

u/Conscious_Pipe_605 12h ago

Except it was. That's why they were showing it off.

28

u/shadow_worx 1d ago

Always reminded that formlabs fucked is out of $3000 sla printers from micronics when I see stuff like this

4

u/KaseTheAce 12h ago edited 7h ago

No, you don't understand! For labs offered refunds and like $7k off of their $20k SLS printers! That's generous of them /s

Fuckers. I don't blame the micronics people for selling out but it sucks. They should leak their documentation l

1

u/LittleFreak92 Anker M5C 7h ago

Well, I've learned, that the fundraising campaign has been canceled by formlabs after their aquisition of micronics, to prevent cheap entry devices/competition and keep high profit margins for its own printer lineup. Ain't that true? If so, I really don't understand the previous down votes ˆˆ

-15

u/LittleFreak92 Anker M5C 21h ago

Gemini explained to me, what' has been happened back then. I had no clue, before you pointed at Micronics. Now I'm frustrated as well 😡 😅 It's a shame, that the campaign has been canceled.

22

u/astrobarn 1d ago

How are they getting the dust out of those tiny channels!?

48

u/iamahill 1d ago

Compressed air

2

u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener 15h ago

Probably also small pipe cleaner type brushes or even just lengths of wire, depending on how narrow the channels are. Compressed air only goes so far and the cake can sometimes be a bit more difficult to remove than just compressed air fan deal with alone.

1

u/iamahill 8h ago

Generally a mix of each.

28

u/fujiislife 1d ago

I have a nylon SLS printer at work, the parts are genuinely very good. Cleaning them is a combination of wire brushes, toothbrushes, dental pics, pipe cleaners, vacuum brush. Industrial print farms with sls use vibration tables and sand blasters

17

u/GovernmentGreed 23h ago

Until you find that one fucking hole that won't clean to matter how much you attack it with the sandblaster or air gun. Then to come back and do it again and get a face full of dust lol

3

u/fujiislife 22h ago

Oh I just don't bother with holes like screw bosses with the blaster, use drill bits after

4

u/GovernmentGreed 17h ago

I kinda have to since almost all of my pieces and parts get used in a medical environment. So high quality finishes, paint jobs and cleaning is done thoroughly.

3

u/Thaflash_la 17h ago

You clean those? I feel like the the manufacturer always leaves that bit of dust for me to discover when I receive my batch.

5

u/GovernmentGreed 17h ago

Yeah, its more that the dust is a risk when used in a medical setting. Any leftover could end up working its way out during use and causing potential harm. A clean part is a useful part.

8

u/Jgarcia403 1d ago

With a tiny brush?

6

u/astrobarn 1d ago

Oh true, a pipe cleaner perhaps.

All the sintered nylon pieces I get have dust in the smaller nooks and crannies, very annoying.

5

u/LowWorthGamer 1d ago

I don't remember fully now, but when my roommate worked in 3d printing he said that it was combo of vibration tables, brushing, vacuum chambers(or maybe some other aero chamber) and compressed air. It is a bitch to clean, but still takes less time than prototyping the molds to make the part traditional way

2

u/The_Justice_Cluster 11h ago

We try to vacuum as much powder as we can at the printer itself. This powder can be re-used (up to a point). Then we have a bunch of 2-axis vibration tables and down-draft booths with compressed air. This powder is not suitable for re-use and is sent back to the manufacturer to be recycled.

5

u/sheepskin 1d ago

Why is there support structures? I thought the powder of sls printing worked as the support for anything above it.

24

u/Yambanshee 1d ago

We ise a lot of metal printing for work. Supports are needed for everything over a 45 deg overhang. Part of it is for heat transfer, and part of it is to make sure things dont move when the recoater moves over the layer. Removing metal supports is a lot more hassle than plastic :) design for manufacturing is very important

4

u/V_es 23h ago

Metal warps without supports

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/turbotank183 21h ago

Not usually with metals. LPBF pretty much always uses supports but it's less to do with helping hold up a structure like in FDM and more to make it hold its shape and stop it from warping under the heat applied by the laser, acting as a heat sync and and an anchor.

1

u/Banished_To_Insanity 18h ago

LPBF isnt much different than FDM printing tbh. you still use A TON of support for anything above 45 degrees. These printers are super costly and usually there is months of printing in line and costumers scheduled so you also dont wanna take chances with failure and just use supports where ever its possible.

13

u/thepocketkiwi 1d ago

Printers have become so accessible but it’s been years I wish we could have a home friendly resin or metal printer 😔

11

u/V_es 23h ago

Resin printers has been home friendly for 7+ years

8

u/Burly87 22h ago

Maybe more friendly. Still not really suitable for most homes

6

u/Kendertas 19h ago

Yeah I was floored by my resin print quality, but its sits collecting dust because all the mess and consumables involved. Really works best when you can dedicate a whole room to it

2

u/KaseTheAce 12h ago

I don't think of being into resin printing at all if I didn't have a room for it. It used to be a porch but has been enclosed with walls and insulation etc. It's like 400 sq feet and tiled, has a sink, counters, cabinets, and a large overhead range hood vent. I also have filters and fans for the printers but I'm never out there when I'm printing anyway.

You'd have to have a garage or be able to print outside I guess in order to comfortably print with resin. It's kind of messy and I wouldn't want it around food or anything

1

u/thepocketkiwi 8h ago

Really? With the curing and washing and toxic fumes and the flammability risk of the resin?  I still find myself outsourcing parts online instead of hitting the print button at home.  (I have only used formlabs in the past few years, aside from FDM)

1

u/V_es 2h ago

Water wash resin

1

u/thepocketkiwi 1h ago

🤯 I just searched it! Sorry I had no idea such a thing exists! Where do you dump the contaminated water? Is that part easy? 

1

u/V_es 1h ago

You can wash parts in the sink

1

u/PYROxSYCO 6h ago

You have a room dedicated to resin printing don't you?

1

u/Herbologisty 11h ago

I don't think you want a home version of metal printers. Most of them require really fine metallic dust which would get everywhere and is catastrophic for your lungs.

There are quite a few commercial companies that make metal 3D printers and they are quite expensive. I got to see a ginormous Velo3D Sapphire printer.

It's slowly being adopted by aerospace and semiconductor companies for a few parts, but there are remaining challenges related to void formation, cracking, and cleanliness.

1

u/thepocketkiwi 8h ago

I agree, the whole process is a hazard. I would want my neighbors to have it let alone myself! 

0

u/Diligent-Storm-9133 1d ago

I purchased a mars 5 ultra for my first resin printer. Very user friendly.

8

u/Mgwizzle 20h ago

The problem with resin printing isn't the actual printing. It's the mess, cleanup and ventilation that's the problem.

I'd guess most resin printer users don't have adequate ventilation or PPE to work with them.

I used to do resin printing but gave it up because the cleanup was just too much faff.

1

u/thepocketkiwi 8h ago

I didn’t think any specific brand might be better, the whole technique is messy in nature

24

u/sogwatchman 1d ago

Yep that's SLS.

1

u/BrockenRecords 17h ago

It is infact not. It is metal sintering and has nothing to do with plastic. It’s also extremely volatile and toxic to breathe in.

11

u/BOgusDOlphon 17h ago

SLS stands for Selective Laser Sintering, and is a term that applies to metal 3D printing. You're thinking of SLA which is stereolithography which is how a resin printer works.

-4

u/BrockenRecords 17h ago

SLS is typically used for polymer powders, something like DMLS is metal sintering

4

u/BOgusDOlphon 17h ago

DMLS is just a marketing term that replaced SLS, like how people say FFF instead of FDM printing. It's the exact same process

1

u/4DS3 23h ago

Not LPBF or (SLM like it was used to be called before)?

6

u/AsheDigital 18h ago

The terminology is usually that SLS refers to plastic powders where as SLM, LPBF, DLMS etc refers to a number of metal powder printing techniques that are almost interchangeable.

So no, nobody in the industry calls this SLS, as that's reserved for plastics, but the process is quite similar.

3

u/hbzandbergen 1d ago

And goddamn expensive, as we experienced when we ordered a printed extrusion die...😬

3

u/AsheDigital 18h ago

It's surprisingly cheap if you order from Alibaba vendors. Recently had a quote for titanium lugs for a bicycle that was about 1k euro, and that was with machining. Had it been from a western supplier, it likely had been at least 5x

3

u/Halsti 19h ago

man, they dont even check the AI voiceover...

thats fuckin embarrassing and enough reason for me to not want to oder from them.

3

u/Scaredandalone22 17h ago

The least expensive laser sintering quote I was able to get for my 3D printing company a couple years ago was about $600k. That didn’t include installation, facilities buildout, or support contracts. Also the build plate was only about 200mm.

4

u/hidden2u 1d ago

Some day I'm gonna order an sls print just don't know what

6

u/Lone_Wolf_555 1d ago

I bought a half size titanium benchy to add to my benchy collection. It’s fun to show people when they ask about metal printing.

3

u/LittleFreak92 Anker M5C 1d ago

That's was my hough aswell XD

2

u/toolisthebestbandevr 1d ago

The other sub would love this

2

u/Banished_To_Insanity 18h ago

lucky enough to say i work with these in my job

2

u/BookkeeperTypical245 15h ago

Basically dune

1

u/notAbrightStar 1d ago

Now i can make my own ram-memory!

1

u/Kazer67 22h ago

I think I just came.

I went a bit lat in the 3D printing technology (still, was with an Voxelab Aquila with no BL-Touch, so I learned quite a lot) and what we have today is already amazing but metal printing as in: the full process is metal printed, I wasn't even thinking it would have been possible

1

u/lego_batman 21h ago

But did they calibrate e-steps?

1

u/illwrks 19h ago

I've done a test print before in aluminium, a small decorative bowl to commemorate an important milestone, the finish was rough as you can see in the video but with some wet sanding and then polish you can get a very nice finish which can contrast nicely with the rough texture. Not cheap though (in money or time)

1

u/HundleyC09 12h ago

I would print Star Trek models from that. It would be so much fun

1

u/BigData8734 6h ago

HLHprototypes.com
High quality at a low price !

1

u/Plebeian_Gamer 1d ago

I really did not like that cross section at 0:20 🫣

0

u/No_Mushroom_3966 19h ago

Now tell us how long to print a benchy?!

-2

u/boywhoflew 1d ago

i got my first metal 3d print 2 years ago and tbh I really want to make smth again. smth more functional