Looking for printers that work with aluminum

I'm interesting in printing with aluminum (preferably additive), but 3d printer companies seem rather shy about simply stating their prices online. I was hoping some of you might already be in the know here. Can anyone recommend good printers (homebrew or commercial) that handle aluminum and tell me what they cost? I'll need to be able to anodize the parts I print, so if the printer works in a way that would interfere with anodization I'm afraid it won't do.

I'd also be interested in knowing how fast prices on such printers have been coming down, although that's just a matter of curiosity. Thanks.

... common metal-printers work with powder that is locally sintered by a laser beam focus.

This systems are really expensive and you have to work with inert gas (Argon or pure Nitrogene for example).

As the metal powder is remelted while fusioning, it could be problematic with anodizing ... another point is, that the finisch is a sort of 'sandy' and the body mostly not solid, but porous.

Maybe you're better trying with printing in plastic and making moulds, so you can cast aluminium parts ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Got a spare million dollars? SLM is an extremely expensive technology.

For 99% of cases, machining or investment casting aluminium is not only far more economical, but more precise and with far better surface finishes.

The technology is the realms of Aerospace and Medical Implants, fabricating weight saving lattice structures or very complex organic shapes.

Earlier in the year my university ordered a small low end unit and its cost was around $800,000 (USD) plus operating costs with shield gas and powder. The surface finish is terrible and the parts are very porus. For most things, you can machine a solid block faster, cheaper, and with a better finish/tolerance.

Yikes. Sounds like I'll just be printing molds and casting if I want to work with aluminum, then. Thanks, everyone.

... someone interested in developing DIY-SLS/DLM-machines?

Common IR-diodelasers with 10 Watts CW output power, capable of melting some metal dusts (or most good absorbing powdered materials like dark plastic, lignin. glass or ceramics too) can be bought for around 300 Euros per piece (200€ in small quantities) here in Germany - should be cheaper elsewhere ...

I've made focussing heads for this types of diode lasers with standard optical lenses - see here for the first prototypes: [reprap.org]

Some basics:
- a DIY-laser-head will cost some 100 Euros ...

- software with autosupport structures, adjustable to drive directly a RepRap or RepStrap equipped with a laser head and some addon for pushing and levering the powder can be found here - I've tested some slicing with 'repetier' - look here for some images: [forums.reprap.org]

- Argon as inert gas isn't so expensive either - you'll need only some litres per hour with a self made enclosure around the system ...

- a venting system can be made reasonably simple with common charcoal absorbers and/or exhausting the resulting out of the window ...

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Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Aluminium would be a rather difficult one to do with with fdm , but not impossible,

molten aluminium is corrosive, and will probably eat away at just about any nozzle,

but one would imagine it would be like printing with pla that being heated too hot, still works just not as pretty as one would like