Microfab inkjet print heads (special purpose for wax, polymers, and other random media)

Here is a price quote from Microfab for their piezo type and thermo type inkjet heads. The price is for the head itself; Microfab will sell you just the head, a full inkjet 3D printer, or anything in between.

NOTE:
The prices are high compared to a repurposed inkjet-on-paper cartridge, but these are manufactured as special-purpose devices using presumably very expensive equipment and processes. The economics are (currently) quite different than the economics for inkjet-on-paper cartridges. (I suspect most of us will use repurposed inkjet-on-paper cartridges.)


[www.microfab.com]
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"Sebastien, these are $600 and $800 each. Price discounts begin at
quantity 10. we do not publish a price list at the request of our distributors.
Cheers,
David

At 10:08 AM 12/13/2007, I wrote:
>Hello,
>
>I'm interested in your MJ-AB-01-xxx and your MJ-SF-01 print heads and would
>like to submit a preliminary price inquiry to determine if your product would
>be appropriate for my group's project.
>
>How much do they cost each, and at what point does your pricing schedule come
>into effect for larger orders? Do you have a price list available?
>
>Regards,
>Sebastien Bailard
>RepRap.org - self-reproducing 3D printer project
"
****************************************
David B. Wallace, P.E., Ph.D.
V.P. Technology Development
MicroFab Technologies, Inc.
1104 Summit Ave., Suite 110
Plano, TX 75074 USA
phone: 972-578-8076 x12
fax: 972-423-2438
E-Mail: --snip-to-keep-away-from-spambots-
Hm. Pg: [www.microfab.com]
****************************************

Aloha Sebastian,
I would be interested in the same print heads or anything that would print wax for jewelry apps with a fine resolution. Pls tell me do you know the resolution from these heads? The difference in cost from this Reprap machine compared to the commercial machines is a very large gap...so to spend a little to save a lot seems like a good idea. Unless? Thank you in advance and be well, Neil

Hi Neil,

printing wax is an extremely complicated and expensive task.

Especially for jewelry apps you need very accurate surfaces so you'll better look for CNC-milling - here you have much better results with cheaper machines as you don't need the rigidities of metal-working.

With two-sided milling you can make most complex shapes and details. Only for very complex forms it's in comparison between 5-axis-CNC and a high-resolution wax-printer - but then the prices equals too ...

Viktor

Aloha Victor,
Thank you so much for this information. I have an inexpensive 3 axis Roland milling machine that I have had to design new and innovative fixtures to cut intricate jewelry parts finally making a 4th axis fixture...the problem with this system is that it will not undercut as in the hollow underneath the stone setting. I realize the costs that is why I have done it on the cheap and have been interested in the RepRap machine. If the RepRap does come to precise specs as in what is needed for jewelry please let me know. We the Roland users group of Hawaii are very interested in all the advances that relate to our industry! Thank you again for your time and Being the Supreme Guru, Neil Coshever

Hi Neil,

i'm on a repstrapping 'sidepath' with ataching a syringe-extruder and diodelaser-fibre-optics beside the mill-head on a 3-axis CNC-mill.

This is meant for dispensing fluid pastes at room-temp through thin syringe-needles and curing or cutting resins and plastics.

My smallest dispenser-setup has needles with inner diameters of 0,06mm for low-viscouse pastes - here i want to fab with UV-curing fluid PMMA (a comercial mixture called "Acrifix 192").

First i hoped to finish the setup last year but it wasn't so much time

Now i have fixed March/April as next timestep - when running i hope to receive an surface-accuracy of maybe 0,03mm in X, Y and Z. My CNC-mill has a resolution in halfstep-mode of 0,0125 mm and with a layer-thickness of 0,03mm it should work fine enough for most of my finer 'homebrew'-microtech.

I think with other types of UV-curable (faster/adjustable hardening time) resins it should work good for complex 3D jewelry apps too ...

Viktor

Thank you again Viktor or should I say Guru. I think your project has a lot of promiss and I wish you the best of luck. Rio Grande jewelry tool company sells a molding material that cures very quickly and a liquid that can be shot into the mold that cures quickly as well. I saw them at a jewelry show last year and sorry to say I can not remember the names or methods of curing. I think it would be beneficial for you to look into it as a possible substance to use as it is already tested and able to be used in jewelry making. There would be a good demand for such a retrofit and since my friend has made the rest of the attachments that allow an inexpensive mill to function like the expensive ones this would be the cherry on top of the whipped cream...! Pls keep me in the loop and let me know how the progress is going. Anything I can do to assist you with it let me know. Be well, Neil

Hi Neil,

thanks, i'll hop into the infos ...

And the "Guru" is only announced as automated number-count of posts ... not really as merit of wisdom

Viktor

Aloha Viktor,
Thnx in advance. I really appreciate your efforts and the willingness to share with others...those who teach are called Guru...which means teacher...some that are elevated to a higher status are for spiritual purpose not that teachers are any less...I appreciate your pointing it out tho. All is great here wishing you the same and be well, Neil