Found this on the web:
Cardboard Computer Case

Someone is building rigid carrying cases by laminated die-cut pieces of currugated cardboard. Someone on this forum suggested building mechanical parts from laminated paper, which seems like way too much work, but to build stationary parts using the technique used to make this case seems feasible. Maybe not as durable as metal or wood or acrylic, but if the goal is a temporary machine to built its own replacement, this might not be a bad way to go.

I very much doubt that this is really rigid. My experience with various sorts of cardboard learned me that it can withstand a load spread load very well but not a point load. So a rod true a block of stacked cardboard will very quickly wear out the hole it is fitted into. There are definitely some options in regards to using paper/cardboard. For ex. using a paper folded model to pour resin in, cardboard/plywood laminates etc.

... first comercial 3D-LOM-printers around 1994 used 'endless' paper-sheets from a roll, were laminated with a heater and contour-cutting was made with a CO2-laser. The fabbed parts had a look and were nearly stiff/rigid like wood.

A 'modern' LOM-printer i found some years ago used endless PVC-sheets, laminating/fusing was made with some sort of solvent and cutting with a knife - the price was around 19000 Euros then.

The parts have nearly the same solidity like pure PVC and when thin structures are made from elastic PVC-sheets, it could be used as solid-state hinges too ...

Viktor

Here's a relatively new Paper Prototyper that takes sheets/reems of paper, layers them, and adheres them with glue. Doesn't exactly relate to the topic, but shows that paper CAN be rigid/strong. Now as far as using them for working reliable parts that will be used constantly every day, has yet to be seen.

[www.youtube.com]

LOM while a great technology is rarely used, I have yet to run into someone who is still using LOM parts in the professional RP world. For open source and the RepRap community it could be another material offering.

... the SD300 from Solido ltd. ( [www.solido3d.eu] ) is one 'modern' LOM-printer i know - it's using PVC-film instead of paper, so the objects could be more elastic ...

Viktor

There's a newish LOM fabricator in Ireland called mcor. [www.mcortechnologies.com] They've concentrated on developing a machine that, while it isn't the cheapest at around USD 22K, uses everyday A4 office paper to layer. It's been promised "coming soon" for a year or two, but it can be seen at the odd trade show. Material costs are the star attraction.
A fortunate dumpster find has given me the idea of doing something like that, I salvaged a dozen rolls of semi-rigid, self-adhesive, .3mm PVC sheet around 500mm wide from one. Advantage is that I can cut it into A4 sheets and run it through a printer, printing the layer sections onto the paper release backing sheet, and cutting them out with scissors. A little long-winded, but it looks to be viable. Manual stack has the advantage that I can run the calipers over the stack height to ensure that thickness variation (of glue, mostly, the actual sheet is calendered accurately)doesn't get too wild. Two commercial (but relatively inexpensive) CAD programs that I use, TurboCAD and ViaCAD, will give section profiles on demand, as will PolyCAD, which is free but not commercial. I find TurboCAD the easiest of the three to establish sections and do printer layout for this method.

murray

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2009 09:00AM by murd.

The original LOM machines were using butcher or wax paper plus the laser. Technically, you could probably use a Darwin Z table, a halogen lamp, and a modded Cricut to make a near-tabletop version.